G.G Series: Hero Puzzle

Genre: Match-3 Falling-Block Puzzle

Players: 1

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Review:

Hero Puzzle is a Match-3 Falling-Block Puzzle released on the Nintendo DSi via the DSiWare service in 2015, as well as being made available on the Nintendo 3DS eShop. This game has has a series of fantasy RPG-style battles simulated by your actions in the Puzzle game, matching weapons to attack and using matches of defensive equipment to clear damage blocks your enemies litter the field with.

The presentation here is endearing, with the game’s 2D visuals presenting players with something that feel like a mash-up of old-school JRPGs and Puzzle games like Tetris and Puyo Puyo. This is backed by energetic music that clearly seeks to replicate the style of RPG battle music from days of old, but unfortunately gets really repetitive really quickly.

For the gameplay, Hero Puzzle has both good and bad going on here. On the good side of things, the core gameplay here is pretty good, with players matching blocks Puyo Puyo-style, and with this game adding something original in the form of damage blocks that can only be cleared by matching adjacent shield and armor blocks. What’s more, the game further simulates battles with enemies by having different status effects create issues with the gameplay, such as a “blind” effect obscuring part of the screen, a “confuse” effect reversing your controls, or a “paralyze” effect prevent the player from rotating pieces, a really clever touch that goes great with the game’s themes.

On the other hand, the game goes a bit too far with its RPG aesthetic by forcing players to sit through text every time you defeat one of its enemies, which then just seamlessly transitions to the next enemy anyway, kinda’ defeating the point. What’s more, this game is absolutely devoid of any standard options. There’s no multiplayer play, no puzzle mode, no Vs. Computer mode. All you have here is the standard single-player endless mode.

Despite the pacing issues and lack of features, Hero Puzzle is still an enjoyable Puzzle game, and for the low price of $2 it’s one that fans of the genre may want to pick up, especially if they have some nostalgia for classic JRPGs. This game definitely could have used some work, but as-is it’s still a fun time-waster.

tl;dr – Hero Puzzle is a Match-3 Falling-Block Puzzle with an aesthetic like an old-school JRPG. The core gameplay here is good, but the game has some bad pacing issues and a disappointing lack of features. Still, for only $2, fans of the genre may still find this game worth trying.

Grade: C+

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