Screen grab from Goods Match 3D – Triple Match
Since I’ve critted books, movies, and shared worlds, why not games?
I don’t mean immersive ones like Halo or Dragon Age. These require far too much investment for me. I prefer casual games, the kind players can download on their phone or iPad, try out, and delete if they don’t like them. Casually… just like the name says.
I’ve been playing them since the 2000s when I downloaded them through Big Fish Games (still in business and rockin’ it) to play on my Apple tower and, later, PC laptop. Since 2012, when I got my first iPad, it’s been mobile all the way. I’ve found these games are a good way to pass the time when you’re at the airport, on a break from work, or trying to fall asleep at night. The best of them are mini-masterpieces in in their own right and immersive as any console game. The best of them are cultural creations of their place and time, perfectly crafted to strike your dopamine receptors and soothe with a combination of sounds, graphics, and ease of playtime.
For this post, I’ll look at variations of Match 3 games.
Match 3 games have been around for a while, at least since the 2000s. They are played on a grid and involve sliding around different pieces so three of the same ones align and then vanish, causing the other pieces on the grid to realign themselves. The bar for success was set by King’s 2012 creation Candy Crush which set a new level of professionalism for the genre. That’s a story in itself, but this post is about a variation of the Match 3: The Shelf Sorter.
There’s a whole bunch of these Match 3 supermarket shelf arrangers where store goods, usually foodstuffs like boxed noodles or soda pop cans, are arranged on shelves and the player must act the part of an Instacart shopper and select them in sets of three. They are not three dimensional, but seem like they are because of the nature of the play. Often there’s an element of strategy involved because the player can make out the product on the shelf behind them, which is revealed after the one in front is matched. Here are some that I’ve tested and played. All are available on the Mac App Store and Google Play. They’re also available to download for Android.
One of the best mobile game logos I’ve ever seen.
Goods Match 3D – Triple Match
(Higgs Technology Co. Ltd.)
Look at that logo. How European, how continental! The animated splash screen to the game is cool too.
This game is all about the graphics, which are smooth, cheerful, and simple. I like the rising chime notes too, which happen as the sets are matched. If you take too long, though, the sound goes down to its lowest level, which is oddly satisfying rustling noise like tissue paper being crumpled. An odd touch, I enjoy it. It goes with the gameplay of pretend items being unboxed and unwrapped.
With game progression more products are added and the levels become more challenging with their time limits. There are Golden Eggs in every level to match, too, that get you game coins. The products are a mix of supermarket and department store — think stand mixers, toys, radios, etc. I’d rather have all grocery, but I did like this one enough pay 4.99 to go ad-free. As a strong plus, the board is large enough to play comfortable on an iPad. I’m not sure about a phone, though.
I’d recommend this one to download over the others if you’re curious.
Match Triple Goods
(Higgs Technology Co. Ltd.)
This one came from the same company above and may represent an earlier version. As with the above, rising chimes and rustling sounds occur when you make the matches. It differs in that instead of putting the matches into the storage slots at the bottom of the screen you move them from shelf to shelf. I actually like this concept better, and I like the selection of items better too – the supermarket cans and boxes, though miniaturized, look like real products. I could just about recognize Barilla Pasta, for example. But the board was simply too small to play comfortably on my iPad.
Another annoyance was the presence of Christmas products in the middle of summer, which implies the developers are not maintaining their game. Given these flaws, I didn’t think the 9.99 to go ad free was worth it. The game had more ad disruptions than usual, so you’d really need to pay to get any decent gameplay out of it. Strangely, neither of these games were featured on the developer’s website.
Closet Sort
(Unickie Technology Co., Ltd.)
Despite the title, there is no closet in this game. Instead it’s the supermarket shelf concept again, but there’s a twist: certain shelves are locked until you match several sets. Plus, there are mystery items seen only in silhouette, and it’s harder than you think to match them.
Early levels of this game were fun, but there are a LOT of ads, and at higher levels, with limited items available to match, you’re forced to pay to unlock the shelves to continue the gameplay. Not recommended.
The shelves to the right and left of the logo are indicative of the actual gameplay
Shelf Sort Puzzle Game
(IEC Games)
Shelf Sort takes the supermarket concept and adds to it an environment building aspect — as you progress in levels, you get to create a scene element-by-element with a cute little Shiba Inu dog as the main character. The same pup does a dance whenever you compete a level. It’s not a particularly sophisticated game graphically, but I do like the little dog. I’d play it just for that. It also includes other features, like a Daily Gift, different quests, tournaments, and, of course, the option to acquire games coins or power-up items by watching ads.
I did find matching items monotonous, though. Instead of grocery products, the objects are simple and toylike, colored in the same seven rainbows: red, orange, yellow, poison green, blue, and purple. This added an extra dimension of difficulty because a green paint tube, spray bottle, and makeup jar tended to look alike on first glance. If you sort by color, as I do, you probably wouldn’t like this.
I do recommend it though for its many features and smooth, addictive gameplay.
