Not The Carrots!
Developed by Wemade Play, Anipang Matchlike is a match-3 RPG aimed to be a relaxing, casual experience. After Ani the bunny witnesses her family’s carrot farm getting destroyed by space-bound slimes, she vows revenge. She teams up with many other quirky and interesting animal friends to claim victory over this new threat to her world. There is only one foolproof way to defeat slimes though. Matching colored gems to create powerful spell effects and lay waste to the battlefield.
Chill War
True to the casual aim of Anipang Matchlike, the title presents itself as friendly and cozy, trying to be as inviting and accommodating as possible. With the simplistic sprites and lack of overabundant, lengthy effects during gameplay, it all feels very easygoing. The atmosphere is complemented by a calm fantasy soundtrack.
This cozy atmosphere is only occasionally broken by the enemies as they prepare to attack – white slime eyes turning red and twitchy as they threaten your group of animal friends with pointy objects. It’s a clever juxtaposition to make foes seem threatening without having to make them look actually menacing or dangerous.
A Spellbook A Day
Your animal friends have to grow stronger in order to take on tougher slime foes. Throughout a stage you gain levels as you destroy enemies. Each level-up grants you a perk to empower your spells or your passive capabilities. Spells are created when more than three gems are matched at the same time – the shape of the match determines the spell created. Spells can range from lightning gems that seek out enemies, through spell scrolls that destroy an entire row or column, to magic books that destroy all gems of a specific color.
The real magic, however, happens when these spells are combined together. Let’s say you have a magic book and a spell scroll next to each other. Combining them causes all gems of a random color to turn into spell scrolls, most likely wreaking devastation on the board and any unfortunate slimes still residing on it.
Throughout a stage, you can pick up to four spell upgrades and four passive upgrades. You can choose an upgrade up to three times to maximize its power. There are also special upgrades if you own a spell upgrade and a passive upgrade that combine, letting you acquire the final upgrade to that spell. This upgrade often multiplies its power and helps you win even against the strongest of foes. Hence: choose your upgrades wisely to combine them and become as powerful as possible.
Your Own Pace
Like any good match-3 title, Anipang Matchlike has many ways to play. Fight through the campaign, clear dungeons for loot, do limited time events and more. No matter what you decide to spend your time with, it will help you grow more powerful. The game doesn’t waste your time either. If you start a stage but don’t have time to finish it, you can quit the app and come back later to pick up exactly where you left off (at least in the main story).
Anipang Matchlike offers in-game purchases too, of course – as a free mobile game, that’s unavoidable. They are surprisingly subtle though. You can buy the usual materials to speed up your growth to power, but at no point during gameplay does it feel like you need to. Playing at your own pace is a perfectly viable alternative. The payment options are merely there for if you want to progress faster, and for no other purpose. For the genre, that is something to admire.
Anipang Matchlike can be rushed through and minmaxed if the player so desires, but it’s not intended to be. The title encourages a laid-back approach. This makes it perfect for people who are not looking for something to get good at or think much about, but rather just have something to enjoy in your free hours of the day. Settle down in your favorite sofa, grab some hot cocoa (or a carrot) and enjoy splatting some evil slimes. Ani will thank you for it.
