Passage 3 Demo

Addictive puzzle games are usually quite simple as a concept, in order to accommodate as many categories of people as possible. However, they can get pretty complex after a point, but the increase in difficulty is gradual and smooth. Using this formula, casual games can win the adoration of millions of fans, and they can sometimes surpass triple-A titles when it comes to sales.

Passage 3 is not an original concept per se, but the end product is fun enough to deserve a short. In essence, the game borrows ideas from Tetris, Dominos and match-three flicks, which are then combined into an interesting set of gameplay mechanics. There are multiple modes to choose from as well, in case you want to mix the experience a little bit. High scores are stored whenever you manage to play a good round.

The goal of each game mode can sometimes be a bit difficult to pinpoint, although there is a short description to give you an idea. Hence, the main idea is that you have to place tiles on a board, while keeping in mind the fact that only those that are of the same color can touch, or if they share the same symbol. Whether you have to create straight lines like in Tetris or just fill the board until there are no more legal moves, you can have a lot of fun with the game.

To make things more interesting, you start with a certain number of credits, which act like hit points. Whenever you make a mistake, a couple of these credits are lost, which brings you closer to the game over screen. In case you try to place a tile where it doesn’t belong, one credit is subtracted. However, disposing of a tile that could have been placed on the board costs you three credits, so you really need to make sure that there are no valid moves before discarding them.

As mentioned earlier, the user interface is not at all complicated or confusing, but the rules of the games are. They are never properly explained, so you’ll have to learn by playing and losing a few rounds in the beginning. If you manage to get past this phase, the game gets a lot more fun and entertaining, although it’s a shame that you have to put up with that in the first place.

In the end, Passage 3 is a neat idea with just enough content to keep you busy and entertained for a long time. While it may suffer from a few design mistakes and a total lack of a tutorial, you can still give it a chance and see what it’s all about. Note: You can purchase this product by following the on-screen instructions displayed in the game.