Game Reviews

Sprnkls review - A match-three puzzler with hidden depths

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iOS
| Sprnkls
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Sprnkls review - A match-three puzzler with hidden depths
|
iOS
| Sprnkls

'A new twist on the match three puzzler!' How often have we heard that sort of sentiment expressed concerning a new smartphone game?

Sprnkls makes a similar claim, but while it's not about to start any revolutions, it does manage to come up with an interesting twist on that most well-worn of genres.

Comfortable match

You've been here before. Touch and drag a coloured block in a jumbled up grid to swap it with an adjacent one. Line up three of the same colour. Pop!

Sprnkls follows that same formula, but it doesn't end there.

You can keep dragging each block anywhere you like on the grid, provided you end with at least one match and finish within a few seconds.

The tactical scope of this simple tweak doesn't immediately hit home, but it means that you can use a single block to shunt multiple unrelated matches into play.

Hidden paths

Indeed, you'll need to use this free-roaming system to progress through Sprnkls's levels, as you only have a very limited set of moves at your disposal.

The scope and power of this system is actually pretty tough to grasp at first. Scanning the grid doesn't immediately reveal any potential chain reactions, and you'll likely start out forming simple threes and fours, just like you've always done.

Fairly soon you'll realise that you can take a detour on the way to your simple match to nudge a similar cluster into shape, forming two threes. Who knows - you might even form a third by accident.

Find your match

Much of Sprnkls's lasting appeal for you will likely depend on whether you can incorporate those third (and beyond) matches into your thinking. It requires a level of advanced planning that's somewhat at odds with the game's simple premise.

Sprnkls isn't for everyone, then. Those looking for a new gentle puzzler will find their kicks elsewhere in more immediately gratifying fare such as Coloristic.

Conversely, there are much richer and - let's face it - more interesting block-matching games out there, like Ticket to Earth, if you're after something more ambitious.

But Sprnkls offers its own quietly effective spin on the match three puzzler. For a certain type of committed player, it could be all you play for the next week or so.

Sprnkls review - A match-three puzzler with hidden depths

What initially seems like a generic match-three puzzler turns out to be a subtle but brain-stretching twist on the formula
Score
Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.