If someone had told me I’d be bowled over by yet another game with match-three mechanics (yawn) and potentially – but thankfully not actually – soiled by freemium bullship (boo), I would’ve kicked that someone in the crown jewels.
But, having now played Triple Town for many many hours, I have to admit I would owe that someone a huge apology. Sorry, man.
To developer Spry Fox’s credit, Triple Town kicks off with a mandatory and sexily thorough tutorial. There’s a lot going on, but you’ll have it down within minutes. Seriously.
Essentially you’ve got a six-by-six playing area in which to build your Triple Town town, and – in typical match-three style – you’re automatically assigned item after item to lay down. However, when you match three, rather than disappear, the last object you place evolves into a more valuable object.
For example, three units of grass yield a bush, three bushes give you a tree, three trees evolve into a house… and so on.
Throwing a spanner in the works are troublesome bears. They move one space each turn and generally prove to be a nuisance as you try to match sets of three. However, trapping a bear gives you a tombstone (aww), three tombstones make some sort of palace (or is it a church?), and three palaces/churches make an even bigger palace thingy. Good times.
The game ends when you run out of space. There’s a little Imperial bot who can clear a chosen item (including rocks – which are utterly useless) and delay the inevitable, but he doesn’t appear too often.
Incidentally, you earn coins each time you complete a town, and said coins can be used to buy stuff, including Imperial bots. Of course, you can fork out real money for in-game coins, but let’s not go there. Freemium schmeemium.
It’s all very absorbing. Indeed, I fully intended to start writing this review well over an hour ago, but got caught up in a one-more-go cycle. And that pretty much sums it up; as much as I thought I wouldn’t like Triple Town, I couldn’t put it down.
Pros
- Thorough tutorial
- Lots going on, but easy to learn
- The freemium stuff doesn’t intrude
Cons
- Very moreish (is that a bad thing?)
Summary: Match three to build your little town. Be warned: it’s tough to put down.
Developer: Spry Fox
Requires: “Varies with device”
Price: free @ Android Market (also available for free from the App Store)
