Gems of War

Some might get bored of playing simple match three games and want a bit more of a challenge, extra depth to gameplay and more possibilities. Well, Gems of War is a game that aims to take the core gameplay that is specific to match three and adds some mechanics that are taken from collectible card games and RPG.

In all fairness, Gems of War is one of the most well-balanced games of this kind. Unfortunately, that opinion doesn’t stick around for very long. It is however packed with plenty of content and a gameplay setup that makes it hard to leave it alone.

You get to match gems and convert it to mana that is then used to cast spells and special attacks. It’s possible to create a small band of warriors that are represented by cards, the sort of which resemble those from Hearthstone, but they are unique; almost (at one point, I saw a creature that looked remarkably like the Hydralisk from Starcraft II).

With Gems of War you get fights that rely on both luck and skill, upgradable units, collectible weapons for your hero, kingdoms to conquer and loads more. The game is very good at keeping you playing if you fancy casual games, especially those that revolve around the match three concept.

There are games that are free to play but slam a player’s faces into the monetizing wall. Gems of War does the same thing, but it’s much worse. This game leaves you to slowly suffocate knowing that the cost of entering a battle and your post-battle rewards are in the game’s favor. At first it’s all ok, but later, after you lose a few fights, you will not recover your gold even if you win. It’s just terrible.

The only way you can keep up with the game, and I never thought in-game transactions would stoop this low, is to buy as many kingdoms as you can, login the next day to collect your taxes and try your luck in some battles. Moreover, disregard the hints the game suggests when playing the AI, in ninety percent of the cases, making those moves transforms into an advantage for the AI. Another way the developers cheat you out of your in-game gold, so you’re forced to spend real cash? Maybe. It’s highly possible.

The only way you can enjoy this game is by playing it a bit every day. If you lose too many battles, you run out of gold, and you can’t buy new kingdoms or keys to get new units. It spirals out of the player’s control way too fast. Too bad, it’s such an addictive game.