Triple Town Review

By , on February 7, 2012


Triple Town - Fun & addictive puzzle matching game
Download on the AppStore
4 out of 5

PROS

Simple to learn, hard to master. Gives you the 'one more turn' bug.

CONS

Sparse sound. Guaranteed to heat up your iPhone from an extended play session.

VERDICT

Combining a town building game with addictive match three mechanics creates such a simple yet hard to put down play experience. Only purchase Triple Town if you have the time to spare.


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Additional Note From Dave - At the moment we currently don't have a system that provides reviewer based recommendations or thumbs up. Despite this, Triple Town has been considered a personal thumbs up from Dave Flodine, so take that as you will ;)

Creating a truly addictive game is quite the balancing act. For starters, it has to be easy to pick up and play. After that, every move a player makes has to pour out possibilities, plus the need to make the next move, and the move after that, and the move after... well you understand. Very few titles have hit upon this gaming sweet spot, and Triple Town is a new member in this exclusive club.

In essence this is Bejeweled combined with a town builder, it's just that there's limited resources and your population best get used to a lot of grass and bushes. The match-three element works in any direction, and this includes corners. As long as three or more items are touching, they will transform into the next land type up the ladder. Grass to bushes, bushes to trees, trees to houses, you get the idea. The strategy is all in where to place each tile because if all the spaces of your town get filled up, it's game over. There is a reserve slot but this is only helpful in specific situations, mainly to get rid of troublesome bears.

The bears can be called the wildcard. They frighten your townsfolk, and wander around. Really they must be dealt with quickly, and this is done by trapping them in a single space, where-in they will die and turn into a gravestone. That prime piece of real estate is not lost forever however as if three tombstones are put together, a church will spring up. It's yet another aspect of the town building puzzle.

For every step forward you take, points will accumulate. There are point orientated goals to reach, and more goals mean more currency when the game inevitably ends. The cash can be used to buy your way to victory either purchasing whatever tile you desire or the ability to clear a block of land. Nothing is that cheap however so this should probably be viewed as a last resort.

Some may find the gameplay here too simplistic, too based on luck, or too manipulative. Considering the non existent entry fee, we think it's well worth the download to make that decision for yourself. At the very least you might find yourself playing the game that will lead to the next batch of clones clambering to cash in on an example of clever and appealing game design.

Screenshots

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