Gems of War (match-3 v2.0++)

[n8wachT]

Let me start by saying: I am not really a gamer kind of guy. Meh, I might done some Warcraft II ages ago and Duke Nukem 3D. But the main reason for that was probably that there wasn't much else out there yet on the internet. I remember instead of playing Duke3d I soon started experimenting with the Build-engine and end up building a descent looking level myself (sadly data got lost somewhere along the way). But that's not what this topic's about.

Gems of War (match-3 v2.0++)

I'd like to point out one game that even got me- the non gamer- addicted; Gems of War.!
It's basicly a match-3 game like the more known bejeweled series. But, the game developers added an interesting set of gaming experience. They combined the match-3 genre with battle-elements and even build a comprehensive RPG-styled part around it, making it the most original strategical experience I've seen so far (within the puzzle genre though).

You play by making moves trying to combine as much gems of the same kind like you do in Bejeweled. Only, this time the computer is a active component. You play on turns. Combine 4 gems or more and you get an extra turn. Both computer and player play with 4 troops (here the magic-the-gathering card collecting comes in..). Every troop has special skills and before you know it there's some epic jewel battling going on- and I must warn you, this works extremely addctive. Extra team elements like Guilds you join to battle amongst others enlarge the whole experience even more.

The game is free to play, you can download it from the Steam Library. But in game you can spend real money to extend your playing experience on various ways. However, it isn't needed to experience the game in full effect. It does become very tempting and yes, even the non-gamer actually has spend real life money over time. Looking at this from a game developers perspective, the model of earning money this way is extremely smart. Because, I would have never spend the ammount of money on buying a game, than the ammount I've spend on it in total over the year. I am not telling how much because I simply don't want to confront myself with the up to date totals... 

Gems of War (match-3 v2.0++)

But they earn some credit. Really. The community part is also great, developers listen to their players ...

Interested in seeing this for yourself? Here's a small preview/teaser. All the links for more information and where to find the game are included below.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/329110
http://community.gemsofwar.com/
https://www.reddit.com/r/GemsofWar/