Hidden Gem of the Week: Swapperoo

By , on May 2, 2018
Last modified 5 years, 11 months ago

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From Fallen Tree Games, developer of the Quell games, Swapperoo evolves the traditional match-3 formula in interesting ways to deliver a surprisingly strategic puzzler.

At its most basic concept, Swapperoo follows the same design principle of connecting three or more items on a grid, removing those matched items from the grid, but that is where the similarities end. Most importantly, you can only move specific triangular tiles on the grid, and can only move these triangular tiles in the direction they're pointing. This design choice makes each match a strategic affair, forcing the player to plan several moves ahead.

Across handcrafted challenges, randomized stages, and an endless mode, that alone would make for a challenging and precise matching puzzler. But Swapperoo frequently introduces new hazard and interesting twists to the basic match-3 formula, such as tiles that explode after a certain amount of turn. Sawblade tiles that destroy other tiles means careless moves will throw your grid into chaos, but can also be to clear the path for matches through careful maneuvering. Tiles that needed to be protected, tiles locked in place, and others add new wrinkles and challenges to the puzzles.

Swapperoo is available for $1.99 on iOS and $0.99 on Android.