A fast-paced puzzle game with amazing depth.
The match-3 puzzle genre is one of the most used styles of games, and it’s easy to overlook new entries appearing in various digital shops. It takes a lot to stand out in that crowded arena, but Punchuin and its action-focused twist on the genre are well worth your time.
Punchuin begins with the standard premise of a vertical playfield with successively falling blocks from above. But this time, instead of moving the blocks themselves, you’ll be manipulating a penguin wearing his boxing gloves. The famous Punchuin jumps around the stage pushing blocks. Each level has a certain number of color matches that must be achieved in order to clear it, as the blocks drop and stack steadily.
How it works is very simple. Punching a block will move it 3 squares unless it hits something on the way. Punching a block that is colliding with something else will cause the block to bounce back one square. Nailing the specific moves required to line up the blocks can be difficult, and the fast pace of play creates a hectic yet exciting race against the rising stream of blocks.
Punchuin keeps this formula fresh by mixing up the different types of terrain within the level (such as hills and bottomless pits that you have to navigate) and level design. This modifies some of the strategies involved. There are also ice blocks that must be broken that can contain coins to buy upgrades and power-ups that help you clear things in the level.
In addition to the standard levels, there are puzzle levels with no time limit, which must be solved in a certain way to clear all the blocks without getting stuck. These levels are fun but can get very difficult. There are other levels such as minigames and boss fights that use the same mechanics as the main game, but they are less fun and feel out of place. Unfortunately, due to the structure of the game, you need to collect gems to progress to later worlds, and you won’t get enough gems until you complete at least a few of these levels.
That said, Punchuin is at its best in its core puzzle gameplay, and it’s worth battling with others to make sure of that. Easy to jump off in chunks of size.
