Stones of Rome

Stones of Rome is a casual puzzle adventure developed by Nijumi Games and published by familyplay that combines classic match-3 gameplay with a lighthearted story set among some of the most famous historical locations in Rome. Rather than presenting players with an endless collection of disconnected puzzle boards, the game frames its challenges within a simple narrative about exploration, recovery, and finding a way home. The result is an approachable and relaxing experience that appeals to fans of traditional puzzle games while adding enough story and progression to maintain interest across its entire campaign. The adventure begins when a young tourist named James becomes separated from his group during a visit to Rome. What should have been a routine sightseeing trip quickly turns into a small disaster after a mischievous monkey steals and destroys his map, leaving him stranded within the city's ancient catacombs. With no clear path back to safety, James must gather the scattered pieces of the map by solving puzzles hidden throughout underground tunnels and historical ruins. The story remains simple throughout the game, but it serves as an effective motivation for progression an…

I can only give this one a thumbs up as a puzzle game, but not as a match three. Yes, the puzzles are solved by matching three, but it simply isn't the same core game mechanic. It is a puzzle mechanic. The core game play involved having some cubes of assorted colors in the middle of a grid, with cubes all the way around the outside. You can click on any cube, and send it out in to the grid, so long as it will be stopped by another cube before it reaches the far side. Sadly, for me, making larger groups does not provide anything special, another way in which this isn't much like a standard match three game. I am only about a dozen levels in, and the number of colors keep going up, which adds to the complexity of the tiles. I am still uncertain about the details as to what you need to do to complete a level, it happens, but why? It's a mystery. Tiles shot in to the middle retain a small white arrow showing the direction they were (and are) heading, as they seem to retain momentum and fly off the grid if a path should clear in front of them. So the cubes around the outside are assorted colors, and as you fire a cube, it is pushed to the front, and a new randomly(?) colored cube fill…

Although quite cheaply produced, this is an engaging and therapeutic puzzle game that works pretty well and just needs to be given a bit of a chance. It is not a match 3 in the traditional sense, where you swap adjacent tiles, but where you drag tiles from the sides to fill the inner grid. The colours, that get ushered in gradually, are bright and very well-chosen. The game-play is a step-up from the automatic and (sometimes) brainless moves required in a normal Match 3 and actually requires a bit of thought. It's quite a nice companion piece to the also neglected T-Kara Puzzles which offers another innovative twist to this (sub) genre.

Even if it's an original match-3, possibilities are too limited, so i get bored after 1 hour.