DC’s Heroes & Villains hopes to gain ground by offering players an experience: Matching gems allows DC characters to take on increasingly tough opponents
Post Date – 23rd Sunday July 23rd at 11:35pm
Match-3 games are indeed a difficult genre to master, as it is difficult to find novelty in them, and it is also difficult to maintain the interest of players. Candy Crush Saga, now 11 years old, has almost completely dominated the space, with few other contenders matching its popularity, as classics like Bejeweled have struggled to make a mark on the market.
However, DC’s Heroes & Villains hope to gain a foothold by offering players an experience: matching gems allows DC characters to take on increasingly difficult opponents.
Heroes and Villains elevates the concept of matchmaking by introducing an element of strategy. One element of this is area-based progression, as matching gems in a specific area of the screen will only damage enemies in the corresponding section. Additionally, the game features a type-matching system, where the color of the matching gem determines the damage dealt, as certain colors are effective against specific enemies, and the enemies themselves are color-coded.
In essence, the battles are reminiscent of Pokémon-style combat, but the effectiveness of your moves depends on the color of matching gems. These strategies add depth to the classic format.
In terms of gameplay, Heroes and Villains weaves a story that brings DC heroes and villains together to fight the latest threat facing the planet. However, I found the narrative elements to be lackluster, causing me to quickly skip the game’s various cutscenes. The music and sound effects are also mediocre and too loud, although the comic book-style art in the cutscenes is well executed.
The game requires players to form a team of five characters to beat levels, and progress is measured through a three-star performance ranking system similar to games like Angry Birds and Cut the Rope.
However, despite the nuances of the various characters and strategic dimensions, some aspects of the game (including the energy system) seemed dated to me, reminiscent of early free-to-play games from 2012.
During my time with the game, I’ve had playability issues with it and found it to be patchy and buggy at times. One particularly frustrating issue is the constantly spinning orange ring that simply won’t stop, sometimes preventing me from accessing certain parts of the game’s menu.
If you do have an undeniable urge to get involved in the DC universe or play match-3 games, I suggest you consider Injustice and Candy Crush as they offer a better quality and more engaging experience.
