Mobile Friday - Disney Magic Match 3D - A Basic Chill Matchmaking Game With Hints of Disney

For this week's Mobile Friday i tried Disney Magic Match 3D from developer Jam City on my iPhone 14 Pro.

I was curious about Disney Magic Match 3D, was it a game aimed at a younger audience or was there something here for everyone. i've got previous experience with such a game called TsumTsum, which to this day i see being played daily here in Japan. after playing it, i don't think Disney Magic Match 3D is aimed at any group in particular.

Disney Magic Match 3D surprised me in a few ways. firstly, and something i mentioned a few times in the video, was how chill it felt. the music felt lo-fi to the extent that i couldn't tell how it was even Disney. The tutorial was also very simple and clear and continued to offer hints throughout this video, but again it lacked that Disney charm. there was no mascot character guiding us. we were matching items from Disney, but not really doing much with them once the level was finished. with a few minor changes, i can't help but feel that Disney Magic Match 3D could just as easily be any other matchmaking game.

This lack of personality doesn't hinder the gameplay aspect. it's fine to play. the stages are simple, they are quick, and if you fail it's made clear that you can spend money to continue trying or loose a life. this simplicity, and with the accessibility of the tutorial, make Disney Magic Match 3D a fine game to play. 

another weird thing was that the game had icons on the bottom of the screen for in-game stuff that's "Coming Soon". these icons weren't greyed out nor did they have a lock on them like other content that we didn't have access to. there was no hint as to what these features were nor a date when they were coming. So why then, are there these buttons on the screen? with Disney Magic Match 3D being so accessible and simple, this seems like a big oversight that detracts from the good they've done so far.

the main reason why this video stops when it does is because the developers have been too generous at the start of the game. Like many, if not all, of these sort of games the start is much easier than the later stages. levels are easy, money is easy to earn, and rewards are easy to get. in Disney Magic Match 3D they are too easy to get and they're automatically earned and applied if needed. this meant i got into a situation where i knew if i completed another stage i would be stuck with infinity health for an hour. it's a nice gift for sure, but i was still using up a previous timed infinity health gift. if i had both, i would've had to keep on playing for hours or just loose it all. Disney Magic Match 3D really needs a way to save these bonus, or like Pokémon Go let us click and obtain them when we're ready. 

Disney Magic Match 3D is a fine game. it's accessible and simple with light puzzle elements, well for the first 27 levels. But it's surprising how chill it feels with it's music and how it's not all Disney all the time. hardcore fans were probably going to try it anyway, but it does feel fine for anyone interested in this matchmaking game.

Version 5.0.3 Played

Mobile Friday - DC Heroes & Villains: Match 3 - Fun But Feels Like A Work In Progress

For DC Heroes & Villains: Match 3 i'm going to focus on the game i played rather than what it might be like in the future. In my personal experience of playing a similar game like Marvel Puzzle Quest, the game i played could be different to the game now. for example, check out the video i did of the PS4 version of Marvel Puzzle Quest, https://youtu.be/LnnYjORtSEE, and check out what the mobile version of the game is now.

Another reason why i want to make this point is that this game feels like a work in progress. the core ideas, the current gameplay loop is there and it's fairly enjoyable. But, it doesn't quite work with an iPhone with Dynamic Island, there's wasted space, and many things are not clearly explained. I also imagine that some systems, like the various "currency's" may get simplified in the future as it has far too many and none of them are explained how to earn, or buy, them. You'll hear my complaints and suggestions throughout this video and hopefully i'm able to get across my thoughts somewhat clearly.

There is a lot to do in this game, but the main focus is the story mode. I focused on that mode in this video. i tried a couple of the side stuff, but my roster of characters was very small and very under leveled. it almost feels pointless to have been able to access it this early on. The story is clearly much bigger than what i played through in this hour and i'm genuinely curious as to whether the game will have just one story or grow into many. i found it engaging and mostly plausible, but i admit i don't know too much about DC Comics' stories. But the characters where clearly recognisable. they didn't feel too childish nor too extreme.

The frustrating thing is that i was having fun and enjoying myself, but almost in equal measure i was finding it frustrating. what ultimately made this game frustrating and why i stopped the video where i did was that i couldn't workout how to level up my characters. i had taken Batman to level 3 and just couldn't workout what to do next. i wanted him to get stronger, i need him a higher level to get more abilities. But i just couldn't work it out. it ended up being one frustration too many and honestly i haven't played it since. But i haven't deleted it either as it's clear from the version history, in the app store, that it's getting changed and adapted and filled out. so i may come back to it in the future personally, but also as a second look video at all the changes made to the game.

(Version 1.0.18 Played)