Oafmatch

Oafmatch is not a bad game but it could've been so much more had there been a few improves to the games systems to mix up the formula. Along with the lack of real feedback to the player, Oafmatch is a hard one to recommend. It's a good match-three game just don’t expect to see this one through to the end.

78%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, graphics

83% User Score Based on 94 reviews

Critic Score 63%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

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About

Oafmatch is a single player casual role playing game. It was developed by NCR Games and was released on May 19, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

"Oafmatch" is a single-player Role Playing Game that combines traditional RPG turn-based combat with match-three mechanics. In the game, you join Knuckles the Oaf and his companions in an epic quest to save their homeland, utilizing a hybrid combat system to match gems and unleash devastating attacks on enemies. The game features 30 playable classes, 60 unique weapons, dozens of monsters, and a huge campaign with light-hearted dialogs, as well as a roguelike dungeon mode.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 94 reviews

story14 positive mentions

grinding14 negative mentions

Oafmatch offers a delightful blend of match-3 gameplay with RPG elements, providing a fun and engaging experience with a humorous storyline and distinctive characters.
The game features a substantial amount of content, including 30 playable characters and over 60 weapons, allowing for diverse team-building strategies and replayability through its campaign and roguelike modes.
Players appreciate the strategic depth and variety in gameplay, with many finding it addictive and enjoyable, especially if they are fans of the Puzzle Quest series.

The game suffers from balance issues, particularly in the later stages where difficulty spikes can lead to frustrating encounters, requiring grinding to progress.
Many players have reported bugs and a lack of polish in the game's presentation, including sound effects and menu functionality, which detracts from the overall experience.
Some find the gameplay overly reliant on luck, making it difficult to plan strategies effectively, which can lead to a repetitive and grindy experience.

story
76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
78%
4%
The story in Oafmatch is characterized by witty dialogue and distinctive characters, providing an entertaining backdrop for the match-3 gameplay. While some players appreciate the humor and the engaging campaign, others find the narrative lacking depth and direction, particularly criticizing the shallow ending. Overall, it appeals to fans of the genre, especially those who enjoyed the Puzzle Quest series, but may not satisfy those seeking a more substantial storyline.
- “The story is enjoyable as well, with witty dialogue and distinctive characters.”
- “A true gem with an entertaining story and complicated gameplay.”
- “You've got a campaign mode with a goofy story and a sprawling set of characters and locations, and you can also go into a rogue-like mode where you go through consecutive encounters that whittle you down until you die... and then you start again.”
- “Story is very poor even for a game that doesn't take its story very seriously; especially the ending is very shallow.”
- “Compared to Puzzle Quest or Galactrix, this is very basic, because in the campaigns of those games there was much more freedom in map movement, and also there was something to do between battles, like mining resources, gathering blueprints, and crafting things in Galactrix, or capturing monsters and cities in Puzzle Quest.”
- “The campaign mode is pretty much what you'd expect out of a Puzzle Quest clone: a map of nodes, each one a battle or a town where you can get quests and buy stuff.”
gameplay
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
61%
7%
The gameplay of Oafmatch is characterized by its engaging match-3 mechanics combined with RPG elements, allowing for strategic party setups and varied character abilities. While many players find the core mechanics enjoyable and intuitive, some note that the gameplay can become repetitive after a few maps. Overall, it offers a rich experience with a good balance of humor, content, and innovative rogue-lite features, making it a strong contender for fans of both match-3 and RPG genres.
- “Overall, if you like match-3 games, you'll love this as the core mechanics are simple enough to enjoy, and if you love RPG games with strategic builds and/or roguelike elements, you'll love this.”
- “Oafmatch offers a wide variety of strategic decisions in selecting and equipping your party, as well as strong match-3 gameplay that rewards you for thinking ahead, while also throwing in some interesting surprises.”
- “In short, it's a great iteration of the formula - fun and with well-thought-out mechanics.”
- “The main problem I have with Oafmatch is in the gameplay.”
- “The dialogues are very funny too, but the story kind of doesn't go anywhere and the gameplay became too repetitive for me on roughly the 4th map.”
- “It has this party of four champions and six colors of gems/items mechanics that don't matter much in the beginning, but you'll have to think of a proper setup for the endgame.”
humor
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with many players finding the dialogues and character interactions to be hilarious and charming, despite the subjective nature of comedy. The writing is noted for its cleverness and ability to elicit smiles, even if it doesn't always provoke loud laughter. However, some players feel that the humor can become repetitive alongside the gameplay, and while the characters embody familiar tropes, their dry and sarcastic humor adds a unique touch to the overall experience.
- “A very nice and lengthy match-3 game, with RPG elements (items and character levels) and great humor!”
- “I find the characters to be hilarious.”
- “And the humorous writing, of course, is very well done to my mind and adds a smile every now and then (with Knuckles and Schwann playing the key role).”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players find it quirky and engaging, reminiscent of Saturday morning cartoons, others criticize it for sounding generic and not fitting the game's atmosphere. Additionally, there are mentions of a desire for more polished sound effects and music overall, with some players opting to mute the game and listen to their own music instead.
- “It has a really fun drawn style and music helps with the battle and exploration.”
- “The music is quirky and engaging enough; sometimes it sounds like something straight from a Saturday morning cartoon.”
- “I'm always looking for match-3 with other elements, such as RPG or music.”
- “Just turn off the game sound and listen to your own music.”
- “The music sounds like it might be from some sort of license-free music library and doesn't fit the game at all.”
- “Although I wish some little things about the game were more polished - particularly the sound effects, music, and turn indicators - the core game is outstanding.”
grinding
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding is a significant aspect of the game, often required to progress, especially when facing challenges that rely on RNG luck. While some players find enjoyment in replaying stages and engaging with the arena, the repetitive nature of grinding can detract from the overall experience, making the lengthy campaign feel tedious. Despite a wealth of content and character options, many feel that the grind could be improved with smarter gameplay mechanics rather than simply requiring more time investment.
- “One of the downsides is the game can be quite grindy with the usual dollop of RNG luck in there; if you can't complete a level and aren't getting lucky with your gem combos, you will need to grind earlier stages to upgrade your stats to continue.”
- “Overall, Oafwatch has an absolute ton of content, although with the limited scope of match-3 games, it can get repetitive and grindy.”
- “I read that this game has a 30-hour long campaign, but it's hard to imagine sticking with something this simple and grindy for longer than a few hours.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
65%
21%
The game's graphics feature a charming and simple cartoon style that enhances its humor and overall appeal, making it accessible on various setups. While the visuals are generally cute and enjoyable, players have reported numerous bugs, including graphic glitches that can disrupt gameplay. Overall, the graphics are considered amateurish but not detracting from the experience.
- “The graphics are cute.”
- “As mentioned before, the art style of the game is incredibly charming.”
- “I have played this game mostly on version 1.03 (and each of the three patches has large bug lists), and I still have encountered about a dozen bugs, varying from graphic and text bugs to game-breaking issues like blank tiles on the board, some equipment not dropping properly, or heroes joining fully upgraded when they are not supposed to do so.”
- “The graphics and sounds are amateur but not offensive.”
- “The simple graphics mean the game can perform well on most setups, and plays without issue when minimized as you watch a stream or work on something else between turns.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
The game boasts high replayability through its New Game Plus mode, which allows players to unlock 16 additional classes not available in the initial playthrough. Additionally, the challenging rogue-like mode, with its carry-over unlockables, enhances the replay value by encouraging players to tackle its difficult and often unpredictable gameplay.
- “Roguelike is exactly as it sounds; extremely hard and sometimes unfair, but a real challenge with unlockables that carry over, adding significant replayability to the game.”
- “While the campaign is fun and pretty engaging, the rogue-like mode is what gives you that replayability and that 'one more game' itch.”
- “Roguelike is exactly as it sounds; extremely hard and sometimes unfair, but a real challenge with unlockables that carry over and this adds some real replayability to the game.”
- “Upon completion, the game offers a new game plus mode that allows you to unlock the 16 classes not used in the initial playthrough, so replayability is high.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy for the game is generally well-received, with users appreciating its appropriate pricing and lack of intrusive monetization tactics. However, some suggest that additional advertising could have been beneficial, especially during sales.
- “Maybe some additional advertising could've helped aside from a simple price drop on sale, but well, probably too late for that anyway.”
- “Well-executed and lighthearted fantasy RPG match-3 game, priced appropriately and without annoying monetization.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is noted for its solid design, though it often falls into generic territory, leading to disappointment when unique designs are reused excessively. Overall, while the characters are visually appealing, their development lacks the depth and originality expected from such diverse concepts.
- “The character design is pretty good, albeit a bit generic at times.”
- “With such diverse and interesting character designs, to see them re-used so blatantly is incredibly disappointing.”