Match Village

Genre: Match-3 Puzzle

Players: 1

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Review:

Match Village is a Match-3 Puzzle game released in 2022 on PC and then in 2024 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, though in the time since its release, this game appears to have been removed from the eShop and is now unavailable on Nintendo Switch. This game has players placing down different hex-shaped parcels of land with a structure on it, trying to match 3 to make a bigger hex-shaped structure of the same type, while scoring bonuses from placing buildings adjacent to specific structures.

I have to say that while the gameplay here is different, there are strong similarities to the game Islanders, and not just the adjacency bonuses but also the way it has you playing on randomized islands and then moving off to a new island once your current one is filled.

However, the strongest similarity has to be in the visuals. Even though Islanders wasn’t hex-based, Match Village otherwise uses a strikingly similar visual style with simple 3D visuals depicting the quaint rural structures you’re working with, joined by simple sound effects and… no music, apparently.

When it comes to the gameplay, the mechanics and strategy here have you placing down tiles until three similar tiles are adjacent to each other, with the three then combining to become a larger tile of the same type in the location of the last one placed. So this makes the strategy of the game to try to place tiles in an order so you can continue this process repeatedly without blocking yourself off. In a way, it’s like a turn-based, hex tile-based Suika Game. It’s a decent concept that makes for some fun and strategic gameplay… until it stops working.

There are a few problems here that keep this game from really being a great entry in the genre. First, it’s not clear exactly how the game decides which tiles you’re getting, though my guess is that when you gain an adjacency bonus you get additional tiles of that type. Second, structures of the same type look extremely similar to each other, to the point where it’s difficult to tell if you’ll be making a match when you make a placement, since you can’t be sure if the tiles you’re trying to match are even the same. Furthermore, this game’s camera is horrible, making it difficult to see tiles on the far edges of your island, especially if you want to zoom in to check out details.

Since Match Village is no longer available on the eShop, I can’t tell you whether or not to get this game, I can only say whether or not you’re missing out since you didn’t get it while it’s available. To that end… eh, not really. Even though its gameplay is different, Islanders has similar themes and it’s a far better game. So if this game looks interesting to you, I suggest you give Islanders a try instead.

tl;dr – Match Village is a Match-3 Puzzle game that has players placing buildings on hex tiles with the aim of matching 3 adjacent buildings. This game has some good gameplay ideas, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired, and now that the game is no longer on the eShop you can’t get it anyway. While it’s not a bad game, you have better options on the Nintendo Switch.

Grade: C+

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