Mighty Match Review: Match ’em Up

Combining Match-3 with adventuring isn’t a new concept by any means, but Mighty Match has twisted that format a little bit. Instead of a Bejeweled style screen in which you make combinations that go towards inflicting damage or spells, Mighty Match is …

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Combining Match-3 with adventuring isn’t a new concept by any means, but Mighty Match has twisted that format a little bit. Instead of a Bejeweled style screen in which you make combinations that go towards inflicting damage or spells, Mighty Match is a bit more hands-on. It’s a potent mix that means that while this isn’t a particularly complex game, it’s still fairly good fun.

Your mighty hero (a tough-as-nails bird) traverses various dungeon style arenas while simultaneously making matches. A tap or swipe takes you in whatever direction you intend, immediately moving objects around to potentially match them together. Even if you don’t make a match, you’re still moving ahead and getting nearer to the end of the level.

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It’s a simple enough concept, but there’s a bit of depth under the hood. Mighty Match doesn’t restrict you to a time or move limit, so you can spend as long as you want exploring a level, and there are certainly plenty of options in each environment. Each stage is often quite hefty in size, with multiple routes to take.

Besides matching up items, you’ll also come across enemies on a regular basis. Moving towards them causes you to perform a physical attack, and you can also cast spells if you have enough mana. Where do you get the mana? From combining magic stones along the way.

If need be, you can always backtrack for a while, avoiding battle in a bid to restore your powers and be stronger again. Some enemies are harder than others, and it’s soon quite clear which are trickier, based upon their size.

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While there aren’t any restraints on what you do, there are objectives to aim for, and you’ll gain experience for completing them too. Oftentimes they relate to things like killing a certain number of enemies, or making so many four-tile matches. One objective has you trying to complete a level in less than a particular number of moves. It’s not necessary, but it’s worth trying in the long run.

That’s because the experience earned goes towards boosting your abilities overall. You can use gold to upgrade your skills too, further enhancing your chances and giving Mighty Match the sense of being more of an RPG than it initially seems. It’s fairly simply done, much like the rest of the game, but there’s enough here to sink your teeth into. You can gradually learn to adapt your bird to your kind of playing style, opting to focus more on attack or magic casting.

It’s an enjoyable way of doing things. You can easily complete a level in the space of a few minutes, giving you a quick sense of achievement. Mighty Match is also surprisingly generous when it comes to not offering any restrictions. There’s no energy system slowing you down, nor the need to unlock extra areas with real money. Instead you’ll occasionally have to watch an advert to unlock a new stage, but that’s about it.

Mighty Match is immediately welcoming in that regard, being about as casual-friendly as it gets. You’ll soon find yourself dipping into it every once in a while for that sweet sense of satisfaction; its simplicity is quite beguiling.

The good

  • Plenty of exploration to be had
  • Simple yet compelling
  • Fun combination of Match-3 and combat

The bad

  • Repetitive if you play for too long
80 out of 100
Jennifer is a UK-based freelance writer. Her work has featured at multiple outlets, including Gamasutra, 148apps, Paste, TechRadar, Wareable, and MyM magazine. In her spare time, she tries to teach her guinea pigs tricks, and enjoys losing hours to Netflix.