Heroes of Kalevala Review
PROS
- Fast-paced three-match gameplay with puzzle elements.
- Unlockable heroes and town upgrades.
- Miniature town-management system for added bonuses.
CONS
- Fast advancement may be addictive for some, but boring and repetitive for others.
- Difficulty ramps up quickly.
VERDICT
From playing with your townsfolk to defending them from the evil witch, Heroes of Kalevala gets the mix of relaxing Sim-style play with three-match puzzling just right, making this a truly addictive title to play.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
Heroes of Kalevala by 10tons is not your typical three-match game and in a way it reminds me of something like ActRaiser on the SNES. It's not the best direct comparison, but much like the SNES title, Kalevala mashes two seemingly unrelated genres together and ends up with a surprisingly coherent title as a result of it.
There are two phases to the gameplay, with players earning gold via three-match battles on complex and varied boards and then spending this cash on their virtual cities, helping to expand the population while keeping them happy to help boost your cash in three-match games. And so on, and so forth. It's a vicious cycle that's punctuated by earning new items based on your progression in each particular town or unlocking new heroes to assist players in the three-match mode. Once you've reached the bronze level of a town you can pack up some of your villagers and gold and head off to new lands, getting closer to their final destination.
The graphics are quite clever, with the city building mode having depth and each item that's placed down feels like a real part of the background artwork. Villagers will also interact and players can lose some time as they watch them with Sims-style voyeuristic glee.
Heroes of Kalevala is crisp, clean and best of all just plain addictive, giving players frequent small rewards for progression. Definitely worth picking up for casual gamers and three-match fans.
Screenshots
$4.99
