I really couldnt get into Gemmed...I love bejeweled and montezuma is a new favorite...i would pick montezuma over smiles, though...they both employ multiple chain reactions at the same time, but montezuma has more interesting game play...ie. powerups, lots and lots of em and bonus rounds, etc. Smiles is very straight forward - you match until you cant match anymore...which for me, is a tad boring.
Other developers would have sold the games as one game with two game modes, so I don't see the real advantage of getting "two games".
As the developer of a match 3 game, I can't not recommend my own game, but as a fan of the genre as a whole, I definitely would recommend puzzle quest. It combines bejeweled style gameplay, with rpg elements to create a really fun game thats more then just matching 3. Though this might be an extra layer of complexity that would deter a casual puzzle gamer. The only downside I would say is that if you're like me and have big fingers, you might be wishing you had a stylus to play. The size of the blocks are pretty small. I'd suggest looking at available video reviews and gameplay videos for the games that might interest you. A lot of the time you cant quite see how the game plays without video.
I haven't played the iPhone version of Puzzle Quest, but it was one of, if not my absolute, favorite games on the Nintendo DS. That being said, I would not recommend it unless you are into light RPG style games. While I found it to be a unique blend of role playing and match 3 for combat, the match 3 portion on it's own is really not strong enough to contend with some of the other games suggested here. The only real uniqueness to the match 3 portion is that it allows you to build up mana for spells and collect gold for buying equipment and such. On the other hand, a game that is rarely mentioned in the match 3 / RPG genre that is much more creative on the match 3 end is Aurora Feint. I've had the game for some time, but didn't actually get into playing it until I signed up for the latest beta, and I was pleasantly surprised at what I'd been missing. I'm curious as to why this game isn't talked about a whole lot when these discussions come up.
Chop Sushi is probably one of my favorites since there is no time limit or pressure ...purely strategic.
I'm not sure it really matters whether you call it two games or two modes... they're very different to play and I'm enjoying them both. Either way, I'm getting more fun out of it than I would if there was just one. I'm actually really happy I bought this game! Going to try out some of these other lite versions too... Thanks for your help everyone!
1. Puzzle Quest- Great gameplay, strategy, story, 2. Aurora Feint- Good graphics and gameplay Both games are really good, but I just bought Puzzle Quest and have been hooked for hours!
PuzzleQuest may be the most appropriate choice for someone who isn't really into match-3. At least that way you can pretend you are playing a real game. Oh, snap. Just kidding.
You just beat me to it. Aurora Feint is okay. What does the girl escaping reality have to do with anything. That nonsense story that takes 200mb on my phone is why I deleted it in the end.
Yeah, I don't really get the story line whatsoever. And the skills never really caught on with me, I didn't really get it. But with Puzzle Quest, the spells and stuff are so easy to get a hang of, and the story is good, so far.
Man seriously? Gemmed is like Bejeweled and Pac Man, I only wish there were even MORE monsters on the screen at any given time. The munch-a-munch animations are total eye candy and really make the game. The only thing I hope they improve are the rather drab colors of the gems (that and the fact that they look like rabbit drops; the other tilesets are no better). I would get Montezuma but I understand it's rigidly timed? If so that really blows; I like my match 3 games to be very laid back. Smiles is simplistic and perhaps too 'cute' but what it has going for it are gobs of combos that are excellently animated which really do count for a lot in the entertainment category. The 2 games in 1 is a valid claim (although perhaps overplayed as an advertising card) as the Zen game mode really is unique.
Montezuma is not completely rigid. Though each level is timed, you have powerups and special abilities to increase your time. In fact, you will not be able to finish levels WITHOUT getting these time bonuses. So, you do have the ability to extend the length of time for a level, but it still won't be a laid back feeling if that is what you are looking for. Montezuma has now become one of my favorite Match 3 games.
It's timed. However you have a power-up and a totem that can add more time (manage this is one of the great features of this game) along with more time per level that you can trade with a star.
Once that update hits, hopefully any day now, I think it might prove to be among the BEST of the genre! It was such a cool unique spin to the match 3 gameplay with the only downside (and therefore a big one to me) that it wasn't very challenging. This update promises to throw in all sorts of nasty fun obstacles so, hopefully, you won't be able to clear all 75 stages on your first go.
I heard the Gemmed devs have resubmitted a patched update so hopefully it hits any day now. I managed to get the latest update before it was pulled, and it has a bunch of new features that makes it more challenging. The powerups and trophies are already pretty extensive, and honestly, I play this all the time. I do understand some of the comments regarding it being too easy, but I suggest you try out the update when it becomes available.
