DeVuego LATAM

Match Village is available for a nice price. It doesn’t offer a visually wowing experience, but it looks colourful and clean. Though placing the tiles is a strategic challenge, there is no deep puzzle gameplay mechanics to consider. Surprisingly, I found the gameplay very relaxing and rewarding. Just place the tiles in the best way you can and see how far you can progress. The sounds of plopping down a tile and getting new tiles as the structures combine are very satisfying. For this little game, made by a solo developer, the name Match Village is well chosen. Get to matching, and populate your islands in the process.

I suppose the idea is that you’ll continue to challenge yourself to do better and perhaps relax as you lay out your ideal islands just for satisfaction, but given the limited feedback the game provides there seems to be little more than that. Throw in the fact that I feel that I enjoyed the other implementation I’ve seen of this concept in Islanders more, which has nearly identical core mechanics, and I’m struggling a bit with this one. There’s a mild and generally pleasant experience here to be had, just not a very fulfilling one.

A laid back and casual mix of puzzle and strategy, but that’s also not terribly satisfying for long

When it comes to Match Village, here’s what I can say: it’s here, it’s cheap, it’s decent enough as an engagement piece and you can suggest it to anyone without the risk of offending them. Looking for something else to occupy your thumbs while you and a friend/loved one/forced roommate move through the latest season of Survivor? Then come make some cozy pairings with Match Village, and see how far you can move your island along before you decide to get up and move on from it.