When you take the entire match 3 games together, you realize when you have seen one, you seen them all, but there are after all some changes or it would be meaningless in creating new ones. You know that most of them are based in the same principles, like you have tiles of different colors or shapes which you must match 3 or more to start clearing your field of play to continue to the next level or objective. That’s pretty much it, about match 3, but the real thing that counts is the way you make those tiles, what power-ups you use, what effects do they gave, and a slight change in the gameplay doesn’t harm at all. With all of this we come to our game, Art Stories. This game will invite you to a world of pirates where you must battle them, face creatures you didn’t know they existed and find treasures which are forgotten in time. The basic and main gameplay is pretty simple and will be familiar with anyone who has played match 3 games, the only thing that could be mentioned as an exception is the “Plates”. Like every game there are obstacles that must be dealt with, but this obstacle is a bit different from the match 3 games I encountered. The other obstacles where mostly chains, or tiles additionally colored for additional matches, and so on… But this one requires 5 match 3 matches to get rid of them. That isn’t a difficult task to handle, but it takes time and you lose, better yet you don’t get enough points to clear the stage at the end of the level. “So, what options are left as a solution?” The best thing and what the game expects of you to do to get rid of the Plates is using Power-Ups. There are different varieties of power –ups with different effects and the best way to use them is when it comes to be dealt with the plates is in a series of power-ups. As the greater combo for destroying the tiles the greater and higher the score will be. Here are some of the power-ups: A waterfall that clears a few vertical rows, a paint can that eliminates all orbs of a given color, and a series of electrical impulses that eliminate multiple orbs at random. So you better keep an eye for them and try to make longer matches to get more power-ups to use them for fantastical combos. You won’t be bored in this type of match 3 as you won’t have time to search for perfect combos and try to revise what is the best move you can make. You will have to do some fast thinking and fast clicking, so the only time you will get to relax is in between the levels. What I earlier mentioned about additions to match 3 games that make them different from others, or when they try to do such a thing, Art Stories has succeeded in doing just that. The ‘Art’ levels are something that breaks the main gameplay into multiple tiles and ensures you won’t get bored playing the match 3 all the time. Your main grid window turns into a rectangle grid which is set in the top half of your screen window. The bottom half is reserved for scenes that look as though they’re composed of simple but beautifully rendered cardboard cutouts. The point of an additional screen in the bottom of the screens depends of the scene which is currently happening. You will find yourself in different scenes where in the grid you will be given different objects which need to be set in the corresponded place somewhere in that scene and you move it through the grid horizontally until it is in the place you think is right one, after which you let it fall in the scene on its place. Each scene has a bonus achievement and if you go the right place for the right objects you are awarded with one. Depending on what you seek you can play the game in the Relax or the Timed mode. If you are more of a type who wants to sit back and enjoy the fun, the Relax mode is for you, but if you are a click maniac than go with the Timed. Complete over 120 fantastic levels crafted in 5 beautiful art styles: Drawing, Knitting, Collage, Cardboard and Clay, and get as much achievements as you can for a better score in the game. You can get more than 8 hours of gameplay if you are persistent with the winning all the achievements and winning the Golden Monkey score. The game has few flaws, mostly grammatical type, but you won’t notice it too much as the game will lead you into a whole new world of fun and entertainment.
