To be honest, when I saw the name of this game, my first reaction was "Another reskinned match-3 game." After all, from the Saipan era to now, I have seen hundreds of match-3 games. But when I clicked on it, I saw that it was actually under the banner of "Match 3 + Meat Pigeon", and it also took cats and cats out to sea to fight sea monsters. This combination made me a little curious. I'm not going to brag, I've been playing for about a week and let's talk about my real feelings. 😺
First of all, let's talk about the match-3 feel. This game is quite solid. The sliding response is very smooth, and the continuous elimination feedback is also very crisp, without the uncomfortable feeling of lag or delay. As an old player, I usually delete games if the basic experience is not up to par. Moreover, it adds various obstacles and skill props. It is not just a simple match-3 game. The levels require some brainpower to plan the sequence. This is a good point. In addition, the character design of Maomao is very lovable. It is not greasy and overly cute, but a bit naive. With the relaxed atmosphere of "catching fish", there is really no pressure to play.
Let's talk about the meat pigeon element. To be honest, I was worried that it was just a gimmick at first, but after actually playing it, I found that the enhanced skills I choose after each level will indeed affect subsequent gameplay. For example, some skills can make the explosion range of special candies larger, and some can directly clear a row. When combined, they can occasionally create cool chains. However, there is still room for optimization in terms of numerical balance. Some skills are obviously too strong, and you will just chop melons and vegetables when you choose them; some are just useless. But as a casual game, this randomness actually adds a bit of replayability.
The boss fight is the highlight. I thought that fighting sea monsters in such a trivial game would be perfunctory, but it turns out there are actually several animations and mechanisms. For example, sea monsters will spit bubbles to disturb you, or there are specific elimination targets to cause damage. Although the difficulty is not high, with the good rhythmic BGM, it is actually a little exciting. I remember the feeling of playing "Deep Sea Fishing" on Nokia, haha, I feel a little nostalgic.
The charging mode is 0, which is free. To be honest, the biggest fear of this type of game is the krypton gold trap, but in my current experience, ads can be controlled quite well. Occasionally, you can watch an ad to revive or get extra rewards, which is not mandatory. The manufacturer, Shenyang Zongyi Technology, I have never heard of before, but it deserves recognition for being able to achieve this level of completion.
Generally speaking, if you are tired of those intense games and want to find some spare time to relax, "Candy Puzzle" is one of the more comfortable desserts I have played recently. I don't expect it to become a god like Candy Crush Saga, but at least the sincerity is online, and the cats are quite healing. Recommended to friends who like match-3 games and are a little curious about meat pigeons to give it a try. 🐱