Match Village
- October 20, 2022
- Rising Moon Games
Get on Steam"Match Village" is a peaceful puzzle and strategy game where you build villages by matching colored buildings on randomly generated islands. With no armies or resource management to worry about, enjoy the minimalistic atmosphere and strive to beat your high score. This indie game offers a unique gameplay experience, but don't expect AAA production values or features like battles or vehicles.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game is simple, fun, and visually appealing, providing a relaxing experience.
- It offers a rewarding gameplay loop where players can strategically place tiles to upgrade buildings and complete quests.
- Excellent value for the price, making it a good casual game for those who enjoy tile-matching mechanics.
- The lack of a tutorial or clear instructions can lead to confusion and frustration for new players.
- Concerns about the game's originality and potential asset flipping raise ethical questions about its development.
- The game features a simplified interface that may feel too shallow for players seeking a deeper gaming experience.
- story5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game lacks a traditional narrative, featuring no tutorial or deep storyline; instead, it focuses on gameplay mechanics involving building and completing quests tied to building upgrades. Players enjoy the experience despite the minimal story, as the quest system provides a satisfying progression through various islands.
“The quests are engaging and add depth to the gameplay, allowing players to strategically place buildings to unlock new challenges.”
“Completing quests and fusing buildings creates a rewarding cycle that keeps players invested in the story of their island's development.”
“The progression through islands is satisfying, as players upgrade their buildings and complete quests to advance the narrative.”
“No tutorial, no story, and yet still enjoyable.”
“Not a lot more to say, there's no deep story and it doesn't need it.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are polarizing, featuring a minimalist, low-polygon style reminiscent of early 1990s 3D games, which some players criticize as a lack of effort disguised as artistic choice. However, others appreciate the cute graphics and animations, finding them enjoyable in the context of a relaxing puzzle game.
“Relaxing puzzle with cute graphics and ranking.”
“Relaxing and fun game, with great graphics and animations.”
“The lack of textures is a method that lazy developers often use to disguise their lack of talent or interest in doing the graphics properly, trying to pass it off as 'art' or 'we made it look bad on purpose.' This is not something gamers should have to put up with.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has raised concerns among users, as it resembles that of asset flips and cash grabs, with many reviews suggesting a lack of quality and authenticity. The presence of suspicious accounts writing fake reviews further exacerbates the perception of the game as a potential scam.
“The quality here is indistinguishable from many asset flip/cash grab scams, and that's a problem in itself.”
“They're all written in either Russian or broken English, appear at almost exactly the same time, very shortly after the game launched on Steam, and all have a direct Steam purchase of the game.”
“The accounts are used consistently to write fake reviews for asset flips and other cash grabs/scams.”
- gameplay2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Match Village" is praised for its intuitive mechanics, combining match-3 and hex tile elements in a way that is reminiscent of "Islanders" and "Dorfromantik," but at a more affordable price point.
“Lovely match 3+ hex tile game, with very intuitive gameplay.”
“Match Village is a hex-based Islanders-like game (much less expensive than Dorfromantik) with merge matching mechanics.”
“The gameplay feels repetitive and lacks depth, making it hard to stay engaged for long periods.”
“The controls are clunky and unresponsive, which detracts from the overall experience.”
“There are too many bugs that disrupt the gameplay, making it frustrating to progress.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Initial performance at launch was poor, but a subsequent patch significantly enhanced optimization, leading to a much better experience for players.
“The performance was absolutely dreadful on release, but a patch quickly improved it.”
“The developers have done an excellent job optimizing the game, making it run smoothly even on lower-end hardware.”
“After the latest update, the optimization has significantly enhanced the gameplay experience, reducing lag and improving frame rates.”
“Performance was absolutely dreadful on release, but a patch quickly improved it.”
“The game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, even on high-end hardware.”
“Optimization feels rushed, leading to frequent crashes and long loading times.”
