Polished Puzzler Triple Match Debuts New Ideas

Reviewing games professionally might sound like the perfect job, but it brings a set of underappreciated challenges.

For instance, what if the game you're playing is so compelling that your writing is constantly derailed by the urge to play just once more? What if you can only focus when you're waiting on an in-game timer? It's a true occupational hazard.

Triple Match is far from the first casual match-three mobile game to create this dilemma, and it definitely won't be the last—though it's certainly one of the most potent examples out there.

Developed by Boombox Games, the studio behind a small collection of refined casual puzzles, Triple Match feels both completely familiar and surprisingly fresh. You've experienced its core free-to-play loop countless times, but its specific matching mechanic is genuinely unique.

It Invented a Sub-genre

It could even be credited with creating a whole new sub-genre. According to SensorTower, it has amassed over 20 million downloads on iOS and Android since its launch in April 2022. Its success has even inspired similar games, such as Peak's Match Factory, released 18 months later.

Let's start with the familiar elements. Triple Match tasks you with completing puzzle stages against a timer, using power-ups and boosts to help when you're stuck.

Clearing stages earns you coins, which can be spent on boosts, power-ups, extra attempts, and even gifts for friends. The game incorporates a light multiplayer aspect that lets you request and send lives.

Progressing through the campaign allows you to work toward various goals, like constructing a Kyoto Zen Oasis, building an entire village, unlocking features, and competing in tournaments.

So far, so standard for a casual match-three puzzler. Where Triple Match truly stands apart is in the core mechanics of its gameplay.

How Do I Play?

Most match-three games involve aligning objects in a grid by sliding them into place. Triple Match takes a different approach. It simply presents a chaotic pile of objects and challenges you to clean it up by tapping three identical ones in a row.

Well, sort of. The screen is filled with a vast assortment of items—pianos, notebooks, umbrellas, letters, clouds, cakes, and more—while a bar with seven slots sits at the bottom.

Tapping an object sends it to this bar. When three identical objects appear there, they disappear. However, if you completely fill the bar (or run out of time), you fail the level.

Initially, this seems simple enough. You just tap items that look the same. The challenge escalates as you advance, with objects becoming deceptively similar.

Is that a red and yellow rocket or a pair of binoculars? An apple or a tomato? Furthermore, everything is rendered in a 3D jumble, so a '7' might look like an 'I' or a dash, among other shapes.

This forces you to make rapid-fire decisions based on the best visual information you can gather, all while racing against the clock and the filling bar. What starts as a simple tapping exercise quickly evolves into a genuine test of nerves, precision, and eyesight.

Hidden within each jumble are helpful boosts, like a lightning bolt that clears a set of three items, a clock that adds time, and various bonus collectibles. Power-ups, on the other hand, let you shuffle the playfield, remove items from your bar, freeze the timer, or instantly match three items.

Final Thoughts

The most concise way to describe Triple Match is "Mahjong meets Fruit Ninja." It's an addictive, vibrant, and novel twist on the match-three genre that penalizes rushed decisions, tired eyes, and clumsy taps, but rewards cooperative play.

A steady calendar of themed events—for occasions like Earth Week or Christmas—ensures the game stays engaging throughout the year.

It's available on Google Play and the App Store, with more information on the game's official site.