Dungeon Wizards

Of the short time I have played this game, this has got to be one of the best match 3 puzzle games I have played of it's type. I am having a total blast with it. Best $3.59CAD I have spent so far on a game. Great job dev.

another ugly rogueish combat match-3. a bit dull and grindy, not as fun as dungeons & jewels, for instance, but it's okay. no real-time elements here at all, just draw lines over as many tiles as you can, diagonally too. only holding the mouse button works, click-click doesn't. right click cancels the current selection as long as left is still held. only endless mode and a single class is available initially, with 3 secretive difficulty settings, an optional tutorial and tooltips on mouseover. that's where it shows, only after starting a game, that difficulty affects xp gain. leveling your player profile unlocks more classes, relics (passive bonus), spells, spell slots and some more regulated challenges that were added a year after release. individual classes are also leveled. 73 is the player cap but by 27 everything will be unlocked, the rest is just the occasional new relic or smaller bonus. matching potions heals, gives xp, reduces spell cooldown or posions. they can be mixed for a match. filling the coin meter offers a choice of relics for the run, only the name is shown the first time. if it comes up again and you already have it, it gets upgraded. filling the rune meter provides spells, or upgrades one to have a shorter cooldown if you filled all the slots. 3 spell types, water is effective against fire, etc. using one applies that element to newly appearing sword tiles. to get xp by defeating enemies, who attack every turn after they appear, match swords and include skulls anywhere. even a sword-skull-skull combo works. bosses appear after every x turns, indicated on top, along with their magic type. based on that an attack can be effective, ineffective or meh. bosses, which are just skulls with better stats, have abilities and a difficulty rating between f and s instead of something more straightforward. dinging means an attribute can be increased for the run, whether you want more damage, hp, healing, or faster filling of one of the meters. there's also a handy eye-con to hide the level up screen and some others and gaze at the board. losing all hp means game over with a quick summary. settings cover the basics and are available anytime. separate volumes, resolutions in a drop-down menu (as they should be), only happening after applying them, plus windowed mode, a couple of languages and toggles for fast animations and enemy icons always showing what the numbers mean. not sure why you'd want to turn the latter off. mid-run progress is saved on exit and challenges are stored separately from endless mode. high scores are kept track of and there's a collections section showcasing all the unlocked stuff, including achievements. like I said, there are better and cheaper alternatives, some with a demo (all applies to d&j linked above), but this ain't too bad if you want more of the similar and catch it half off the full 7 eur.

It's a classic formula, well executed - the match three formula you all know and love. The class system is interesting, and the rouge-like elements mean every run is different. It's relaxing and on easy is satisfying to play. Easily worth the price of admission.