Roguematch: The Extraplanar Invasion Unleashes a Puzzle-RPG Power Surge
Stepping into the swirling chaos of Roguematch: The Extraplanar Invasion feels like tumbling through a rift where tactical mastery and puzzle instincts collide spectacularly. This is a realm where every matched gem becomes a weapon, every turn a gamble, and every encounter a fresh test of your improvisational prowess. As you dive deeper into its extraplanar labyrinths, the game’s blend of turn-based tension and match‑3 sorcery quickly reveals itself as something far more intricate than it first appears, an experience begging for deeper exploration and analysis.
Roguematch: The Extraplanar Invasion Review Pros
- Decent cartoon-like graphics.
- Download size.
- Platinum trophy.
- Video settings – resolution and v-sync.
- Colourblind support.
- Audio sliders for – SFX, and BGM, plus you have mute options.
- Controller settings – vibration toggle, touchpad sensitivity, motion sensor support, and you can tweak it with sliders for axis sensitivity, and Invert them. You can also remap the controls.
- 3 save slots.
- Run-based match-3 RPG gameplay.
- Tutorial pop-ups as you play, and you can re-read them from the help menu. They are told via comic book-like strips.
- How the game plays is that you go into a room, and it then populates with enemies and gems. You match gems to wipe them out. If you do it to an enemy, it damages them, and each gem is also an elemental, and enemies have weaknesses like fire, etc. Your character can hit enemies, but it is risky.
- Each room you clear gives you 3 power-up points.
- Portals in rooms will have a countdown number, and at zero, will spawn an enemy.
- Every 18 points you earn, your attributes increase and act like a level up.
- Boss rooms give 18 points, and mini boss rooms give 9 points.
- In between locations, you can exchange gems for items that have been left in the dungeon.
- Collect items and spells, and even turn items into spells.
- Mana will determine what spells you can cast.
- You move around the room with the d-pad and then move the cursor with the right stick.
- It is a really clever game once you get the hang of it; it’s a lot of strategy and simple match 3.
- I really do like the gameplay flow of it all, and I always have just one more go.
- When entering a room, you get an objective, and it could be to kill all enemies, or fill up the mana crystals by clearing the matching gems, etc.
- Big boss fight encounters, and they are clever as they can have unique modifiers or a gimmick you haven’t seen.
- Rooms generate and populate as you enter them, and until then, they are just black boxes on the mini map.
- Earn power-ups, items, etc by clearing out rooms and finding them.
- I do like that locations are big, and you can find your own route through the map and do as much exploring as you want.
- Before a new run, you can choose which equipment and abilities to take with you – left glove, left vambrace, right glove, and right vambrace.
- An absolute winner move, the game has a speed-up button to have animations and fights go quicker.
- As you level up, you choose which attribute to level up, like gem powers, attack strength, health, etc.
- Clear gems to gather them and then trade or craft with them on runs.
- You can skip turns, which then has the enemy move around.
- As you move around the gems, you push them around, which is yet another layer that the game lets you have at it with the gems.
- End of run breakdown showing lost at stage number, turns taken, bosses defeated, and new items discovered.
- Items and spells you get can be active or passive.
- There are many ways you can manipulate your game world and game board, which is really cool.
- Gems can be hidden under ice, smoke, sand, etc and require clearings by them in order to clear it out.
- Every run is randomised from room layouts to maps and bosses.
- Match four gems to make an explosive gem and five gems to make a power-up, where whatever gem you pair with it, it takes out all those gems. Making stars is the best, as matching stars has them attacking the nearest enemy regardless of your position or hitting an objective.
- Cascades can happen, and they look awesome and are satisfying when it finishes with a room clear.
- This is a solid, fun game, and it deserves attention for the RPG match-3 puzzler crowd.
- Unlock new characters with unique stats and abilities.
- A game that bridges the gap between action and match 3 in a way that is engaging.
Roguematch: The Extraplanar Invasion Review Cons
- So much to take in, the first few runs are just huge info dumps, and there are a lot of systems going on at one time.
- It is a game that takes time to get to grips with; it does happen, and it’s magical, but it’s a steep on-ramp.
- So many times, I would get the d-pad and right stick mixed up and mess up gem matches or move myself into danger.
- Boss fights are big steps up in terms of difficulty.
- It’s never easy to just get the information you need, and it does get frustrating.
- The music is not that great.
- Being able to learn and have documented what enemies take what damage from gems would be really helpful, but it’s not there from what I can see.
- When you level up it’s easy to forget what each option is, and it doesn’t give you any hover text descriptions.
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Roguematch: The Extraplanar Invasion
Developer: Starstruck Games
Publisher: Starstruck Games
Store Link:
Roguematch: The Extraplanar Invasion Review
Summary
Roguematch: The Extraplanar Invasion – The Thrills and Highlights of Gameplay
Roguematch: The Extraplanar Invasion delivers a run-based match 3 RPG that mixes strategy with simple matching in a really clever way. You move into a room, it populates with enemies and gems, and matching gems wipes them out while hitting enemies if they are close. Each gem has an elemental type, and enemies have weaknesses, so every match matters. Clearing rooms earns power-up points, portals spawn enemies on countdowns, and every 18 points acts like a level up. Boss rooms and mini-boss rooms give big rewards, and objectives change from killing enemies to filling mana crystals. You collect items, spells, and even turn items into spells, all while pushing gems around the room as you move. Match four for explosive gems, five for power-ups, and stars are the best as they attack the nearest enemy. Cascades look awesome, and clearing a room that way is satisfying. With randomised runs, big locations, your own route through maps, and equipment choices before each run, it becomes a game where you always have just one more go.
Roguematch: The Extraplanar Invasion – Where It Falls Short: Key Negatives
There is a lot to take in, and the first few runs feel like huge info dumps with many systems going at once. It takes time to get to grips with everything, and the on-ramp is steep, even though it becomes magical once it clicks. Mixing up the d-pad and right stick can lead to mistakes and danger, and boss fights are big steps up in difficulty. Getting the information you need is never easy and becomes frustrating. The music is not that great, and having documented weaknesses for enemies would be really helpful, but it does not seem to be there. Level-up choices are easy to forget because there is no hover text to remind you what each option means.
Roguematch: The Extraplanar Invasion – Immersive Story and Narrative Elements
Tutorials appear as comic book-like strips and pop up as you play, and you can reread them in the help menu. The game world builds itself room by room, with black boxes on the mini map turning into full encounters as you enter. Items left in the dungeon can be exchanged between locations, and unlocking new characters with unique stats and abilities adds more personality to each run. It bridges the gap between action and match 3 in a way that feels engaging and full of discovery.
Roguematch: The Extraplanar Invasion – Visual and Performance Aspects
The game has decent cartoon-like graphics and a small download size. Video settings include resolution and V-Sync, and there is colourblind support. Audio sliders let you tweak SFX and BGM or mute them entirely. Controller settings include vibration, touchpad sensitivity, motion sensor support, axis sliders, invert options, and full control remapping. You get three save slots, and the speed-up button is an absolute winner for making fights and animations go quicker. End-of-run breakdowns show your stage, turns, bosses defeated, and new items discovered.
Roguematch: The Extraplanar Invasion – Overall Verdict: Is It Worth Playing
This is a solid, fun game that deserves attention from the RPG match-3 puzzler crowd. It is clever, strategic, and full of ways to manipulate the game board and world. With randomised runs, big maps, unique bosses, and a gameplay flow that keeps you coming back, Roguematch: The Extraplanar Invasion stands out as a game that rewards experimentation and exploration.
Back of the Box Quotes:
A smart and engaging twist on the RPG match 3 formula.
