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Battle Gems (AdventureQuest)

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Battle Gems (AdventureQuest)

Match-three battle games are as commonplace on the App Store and Google Play as fleas on a street mongrel. Using the power of gems, candy, and baubles, we've driven back robots, killed dragons, and assisted superheroes. What more can possibly be done with the genre?

Battle Gems (AdventureQuest) has an idea. Just offer more of the same, but package the game with a silly, self-aware experience guaranteed to make the player chuckle (and groan, and face-palm). Also, include some sweet graphics and fun monster designs.

Go forth

The action in Battle Gems (AdventureQuest) takes place in several puzzle levels spread across a huge world map. Your ultimate goal is to reach a skull-shaped lair at the peak of the map, wherein a great treasure supposedly waits. There are several dozen wolves, dragons, renegades, and monsters standing between you and your fortune, however.

Instead of going sword-to-sword with bad guys, you need to dispose of them via a puzzle grid. Each grid is filled to the brim with different coloured gems, and matching three or more gems sends your hero into action.

Every gem is stamped with an icon. Swords represent a physical attack. Pawprints represent an assist from your pet. Stars indicate a magic attack.

Potion bottles are a bit of a wild card - when you match three or more, you may get a healing draught, or you may throw a bomb-based attack at the bad guy. Whichever colour gems you link up, the more you match, the more powerful your attack or spell.

Humour is the weapon

The core gameplay for Battle Gems (AdventureQuest) isn't original, but it's still compelling. There's a reason why battle / puzzle games still take up significant chunks of real estate on digital marketplaces: they're fun to play.

And Battle Gems (AdventureQuest) is made especially appealing by its inclusion of pets (tiny dragons and wolves mauling enemies - what's not to love?) and its weird, weird sense of humour.

Nothing in the game is meant to be taken seriously. Even the hulking enemies are brightly coloured and use flailing attacks. Some of the situations you encounter are pretty funny (the game opens with you slaying a dragon that, as it turns out, was a good guy), and while the meme-based jokes surely won't age well, there's never been a bad time to laugh at the potty-mouthed "swear-wolf."

Your quest awaits

Battle Gems (AdventureQuest) is a free-to-play game, meaning you're expected to put up with some of the system's trappings. It's not too bad, however. Weapons and armour cost reasonable amounts of in-game currency, which is usually enough to give you an edge over your enemies.

However, there's an energy system at play. Each game costs a unit of stamina, and you must wait (or pay) to recharge.

Chances are you won't mind very much. Battle Gems (AdventureQuest) looks good, it's satisfying to play, and it might even make you smile. Not a bad trade-off for some waiting around.

Battle Gems (AdventureQuest)

Though not particularly original, Battle Gems (AdventureQuest) is a fun play thanks to its colourful graphics and weird sense of humour
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