Overgrown and Underdeveloped
An unknown evil threatens to devour Neverland. Help Samantha and her cat reclaim the realm for its mystical inhabitants in Merge Neverland from developer IVYMOBILE. Merge elements in match-3 style puzzles to complete challenges and earn rewards to take back to your blossoming Garden. With such a strong premise and adorable characters, I expected an entertaining romp through Merge Neverland’s storybook lands. Unfortunately, the game never delivers on its promise of a happy ending.
A Dreamworld’s Door
Merge Neverland begins with a short cutscene. Samantha wanders alone through a dark forest, lantern in hand. Out of the blue, a strange door appears before her. As she touches the clover emblem in the center, it swings wide, pulling her into a swirling magic vortex and closing tightly behind her.
Now transported to Neverland, Samantha’s greeted by her cat Elizabeth, who can now speak. Elizabeth explains that their true name is Loki and that Sam has arrived just in the nick of time. Loki offers to imbue Samantha with a portion of their power so that she may restore Neverland. Misty magical pollution covers the land stretching beyond the doorway, save for a small sliver.
On this clear patch rest three fairy eggs. Loki instructs the player to merge the eggs, resulting in the hatching of a fairy. Fairies act as helpers by harvesting elements and other resources for players to use. After a certain amount of work, fairies will take a rest for twenty minutes. This seems like a short amount of time, but I assure you, this cooldown feels like an eternity. More on this later.
Reaching the Realms
After unlocking your first three fairies and clearing a small patch of land, Loki urges you to explore the Levels—the game’s main mode. Levels present players with a set of tasks as well as an overall goal (usually purifying land and merging statues). Each level requires a specific amount of energy to play—usually from one to four units. Early on, you’ll blow through energy fairly quickly. However, when you run out, you can watch ads to replenish energy, as well as farm other resources.
The first eight levels act as introductory stages that slowly train players in the game’s basics. Gameplay requires players to drag and merge three or more matching objects. Like before, you’ll also need to use fairies to farm elemental orbs from flowers to strategically cleanse certain areas. If you manage to match five or more objects, you’ll earn bonus merged objects. Additionally, creating a chain reaction of merges rewards players with bonus elementals that offer a burst of cleansing energy.
Starting with level 9, you’ll receive up to three stars based on how successfully you managed to execute each task. Tasks reward players with a star that, upon tapping, showers the stage with coins and elemental orbs. After finishing the level, you’ll receive three free bonus prizes and the ability to purchase extra, discounted swag with gems. Gems are the game’s premium currency, though you’ll earn plenty through regular play.
Finally, with your energy-depleted and fabulous prizes in tow, return to your Garden to check on your fairies and expand the terrain.
Happily, Never After
For all that Merge Neverland gets right, there’s plenty that could use amending. I thoroughly enjoyed the game’s match-3 puzzles but ran out of energy far too quickly for my tastes. While energy replenishes at a decent pace, I need to continue my puzzle quest unencumbered. Sure, I could swap to the Events mode or tend to my Garden, but both of these modes often feel like a chore since most of your activities there focus on farming resources and merging flowers and other objects. I could get lost in these tasks alone, but they fail to shine in quite the same way as the puzzle-solving levels.
Things get even worse when you factor in the fairies’ rest period. After you’ve sunk several hours into the game, you’ll probably end up with a very crowded Garden. I’m starting to discover that I can’t purify land fast enough. Unlocking new patches requires either hatching a specific number of fairy eggs or unleashing orbs. Sleepy fairies only compound this problem and make freeing up space even more of a chore.
My final complaint is in regard to the game’s story, or rather lack thereof. My expectations for the narrative were high thanks to the impressive opening and the adorable fairies. Unfortunately, beyond the intro cinematic and Loki’s tutorial hints, there’s not much story here. None of the Levels or Garden unlocks provide insight or development. Even the events feel a bit empty. A few lines of dialogue or some small cutscenes here or there could do wonders.
All in all, Merge Neverland plays fine, at least for a while. The puzzles feel challenging enough, and the game’s world and characters feel appropriately fantastical. However, if you’re looking for a fairytale adventure, you won’t find your happily ever after here.
