I never thought a game I picked up for less than a cup of coffee would be up there with my favorite Match 3 games of all time, but it is. With gameplay that is easy to learn but hard to master, I found myself addicted to The Treasures of Montezuma 4 in no time.

Gameplay consists of your standard Match 3 fair, swap the position of the tokens to match 3 of the same color to remove them from the board and score points. The twist comes in with totems and power-ups that you purchase with coins earned by completing levels. Chaining color matches will power up your totems and release their abilities onto the board. Determining which power-ups are most beneficial for each game board is where the real strategy comes in. Running out of time? Start chaining those oranges. Find yourself stuck with few good matches? Chain up a couple reds and let those fireballs fly. Snap decisions and twitch reactions are required, especially when playing on Expert, but finally FINALLY earning Gold on that one level that's been giving you fits is so incredibly satisfying you'll want to keep playing until you can't possibly play anymore.

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And there are plenty of game modes to play through. Aside from Story mode which consists of 98 increasingly difficult boards, there's Puzzle where you can play through sets of specific games (Catch the Frog, Spring, Archaelogy, etc.) to earn collectibles, and Quest where certain objectives must be met on each board as you search for the missing pieces of a medallion. The variety of games gives you lots of options depending on what you're in the mood mood for, whether it's the marathon session or just a quick fix.

Good or bad, luck is a bit of a factor in the gameplay. If you're stuck with a bad board layout, it's often better to restart the level and hope for better token placement than waste time trying to work with the wrong totems. Sometimes you just don't have enough of the right color to pull off the chains you need; however keeping a level head and planning your moves and power-ups wisely can help you overcome some of the bad luck. Then there are the boards where everything lines up so perfectly that you snag Gold within seconds of starting despite trying dozens of times to beat the timer. Sure, that's luck for you, but I choose to believe that I'm just that awesome!

Unfortunately, the rate in which you purchase your power-ups can be a bit slow. The game plays best when you have all the tools at your disposal to deal with any given situation. Later levels tend to be more enjoyable because you have most of your power-ups which makes things a lot easier to deal with. On the other hand, purchasing abilities one at a time helps teach what each does without confusing you too much, so there is some merit to it. But the game is most fun when you're fully empowered and chaining like a madman as power-ups, explosions and multipliers rack up your points.

As one of the best impulse buys I've made on Steam, The Treasures of Montezuma 4 does not disappoint. If you are looking for more relaxing and casual fair, however, this may not be the game for you. But if you're in the market for a fast-paced and rewarding Match 3 title that will have you playing to the wee hours of the morning, you cannot go wrong with this gem! Even at full price, it's a steal. Steam achievements and trading cards are just icing on this already delicious cake. Move over Bejeweled, there's a new king in town!

The Treasures of Montezuma 4 is a casual match 3 game that practically doesn't bring almost anything new to the genre - but that doesn't mean the game is bad. While the only difference from other match 3 games is different upgrade system and graphics, this game still is a good casual fun - it's obvious the overused gameplay formula still works.

What's unique there is a motivation to match more groups of blocks with the same color consecutively. That triggers special totem events that does something to the game board, destroying the blocks or changing their color.

There's about hundred levels in basic story mode but after you beat this, there's also a Quest mode with even more levels - you don't have to worry this game would be too short.

I'd specify the target group to people who want to relax but don't want to play free game with microtransactions and ads (like Candy Crush Saga). If you belong into this group, The Treasures of Montezuma 4 is a nice pick on sale for you. Others, looking for some more original match 3 game, I'd recommend checking Claws & Feathers, also by Alawar Entertainment.

I wish I can give that game positive review, but I just can't do this. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who looking for nice casual game to relax.

Yes, it's seems nice and colourfull, idea with totem mechanics sounds very interesting, but there is one big problem: if you want to get reward for your gameplay, you'll need hell of luck. Some levels you can beat only if you lucky. You can get one or two nice matches from very start, got combo and complete level in 10-15 seconds, or you can match tokens on the very same level for 5 freaking minutes and lose. You can lose levels with frogs or fire/ice/gold tokens just because you won't get any of these for 2 minutes. Just a pure luck (or bad luck in that case).

Don't get me wrong: I clearly understood the fact that ToM4 is just a casual 'match-three' game. But even a casual game usually require a skill to beat them on high difficulity, and if you have that skill, you'll beat the game, 'cause your results won't rely on solely luck. For ToM4 you'll need only pure luck to win. Not got enough green tokens to match them two times in row in first 10-15 seconds? Forget about gold-tier score, you won't get it for that time. Last tile in 'Match Pairs' placed in corner of the table? Pretty like you won't manage to open it, unless Red or Blue Totem'll destroy that part of table. And so on, and so on.

That's... That's awful for casual 'match-three' game. Game that won't allow you to win without any significant reason is not a game that you want to play for fun.

This is an older game, but still very satisfying to play even now. The explosions are lovely and the game play is very fast paced. It is timed and you have to match quickly to get through most levels, so it is not for the relaxed player. The game has 3 different modes: Story, Quest, and Puzzle. Each mode is fun to play and gives you a sense of completion. It takes quite a while to grind through and get all the achievements. I must have played the puzzle mode (Harvest) over 70 times just to get the funds to upgrade the Ziggurat fully, but it was worth it in the end to get all achievements.
If you like M3s and like a challenge, this one is for you!

Procrastinate by exploding colourful blocks while your personal life crumbles in a similarly spectacular fashion. You can't lose as long as you don't pay attention to the fact, so grab your fate by the horns and match like there's no tomorrow. Life comes and goes, but that Ziggurat won't build itself.

The Treasures of Montezuma 4 is a fun and well-thought-out Match 3 game that's pleasing to the eye. I definitely recommend this game to players who like Match 3 games and I'd even recommend it to people who'd like to try a Match 3 game and see what the genre is all about. Although the general consensus is that Bejeweled 3 is the best Match 3 game out there, I think The Treasures of Montezuma 4 certainly holds its own with Bejeweled 3.



There is a story mode, which you'll want to play first, but the story is paper-thin and clichéd, so not worth talking about.



Match 3 games are games where you need to combine three or more of the same variety of tiles, usually by swapping two of those tiles. The Treasures of Montezuma 4 does that and it does it well, so it's a good Match 3 game.

The mechanics that set this Match 3 game apart are the totems, which make the constant objective of the game to combine subsequent combos of the same-colored tiles. Every time you combine 3 or more tiles of a certain color, its totem shows up in a corner of the screen. If you manage to combine 3 or more tiles of the same color, the totem will greatly help you advance e.g. by adding time to your counter or by shooting a fireball or a lightning bolt at the board, destroying a bunch of tiles.

Some of the tiles have a gem on them. The more gems you collect by including such tiles in your combos, the more points you score.

Combining four or more tiles of the same color adds a boon to one of the other tiles e.g. dynamite that explodes when it's included in a combo, destroying nearby tiles, lighting that destroys all the tiles that are on the same line as the tile with the lightning on it, or an hourglass that replenishes the timer a bit.

In theory, you can take all the time you want to finish each level. But when you start a level, a timer will start. For the first one or two minutes, it'll be gold-colored, then it'll turn silver for a minute or two and finally it'll be bronze for a minute or two. Finishing the level as quickly as possible yields more coins as your reward.

These coins can be used to buy upgrades to pretty much every element of the game I have mentioned: totems (e.g. enhancing the fire or lightning damage they cause), the maximum number of gems on the board, the yield of the dynamite explosions, the number of rows destroyed by the lightning, how much time an hourglass adds, etc.

The Treasures of Montezuma 4 offers are a couple of game modes. The story mode is the best place to start as it unlocks upgrades, so you'll be able to use your upgrades when playing the other modes.

Quest mode has you clearing levels on paths that each lead to a temple. You're to find the two temples that hold half of an artifact you need to complete the quest. During each of the quest levels, you have to fulfill some special conditions in order to finish the level. Some of these can be quite challenging.

Puzzle mode offers 8 types of 'puzzles' which means you'll have to fulfill special conditions while clearing tiles e.g. destroy frogs that continuously hop from one tile to the next, clear a path from one place on the board to another, make sure a number of lumps of gold reach the bottom of the board, etc. Some puzzle modes are more challenging than others.

These game modes are reminiscent of the game modes in the pinnacle of Match 3 games, Bejeweled 3, and some are just as fun while others are just as challenging (maybe even frustrating, depending on your taste), although I do feel Bejeweled 3 has more replayability in the long run than The Treasures of Montezuma 4.



I think The Treasures of Montezuma 4 is very pleasing to the eye: it looks nice, its colors are vibrant and effects like explosions or lightning look good. The only gripe I have is when a tile has an effect on it, causing it to glow, it's sometimes hard to see exactly which color of tile is below it. You can look closely at its shape, as each type of tile also has a different shape besides a different color, but even the shape of the tile is sometimes not clear due to the special effect.

Sound effects are adequate and clear, so no complaints there. The music fits the Aztec theme of the game well and I found it very pleasing, except for the music during one of the puzzles because it sounded like a techno remix of the other songs.



The Treasures of Montezuma 4 has 5 Steam Trading Cards. You'll get 3 while running the game.

The 32 Steam Achievements are varied. Some come naturally while playing the game e.g. destroy a number of tiles (of a certain color) or make a combo of a certain number of tiles. Other achievements are awarded for more completionist tasks such as complete the story mode, complete each quest in quest mode and gather all of the items you can get as a reward from puzzle mode. Finally, there are three or four achievements that require a lot of grinding. Although there is a workaround for one of these, which still requires a lot of times restarting the game until you get the prize you need, it will take completionists a while to 100% this game.

I had originally thought this was going to be a thumbs up, but the deeper I got into the game, the more I disliked it. I guess I am about halfway thru, and it has simply gotten brutally hard, with advancement made arduous and grindy.
There are two styles of the basic match three game, one is about speed, and the other is about being thoughtful. This game rapidly becomes both, and trust me, they don't work well together.
You've got a time, so speed is good, but you also build an array of power-ups and bonuses that you need to be looking for. Not easy when you are rushing. Especially when half of them are about matching the same color twice, something that rapidly becomes harder and harder as you get in to each level.
The game will let you finish a level after the time limits are thru, but you get nothing for it, so you not only fall short, but get no better.
You can go back and play the earlier levels over (and over and over) for five gold a shot, but as you need three to four hundred coins to get one of the medium level upgrades, the grind-level surpasses the fun of replaying a level many times over.
And as often as I find myself with the time for the bronze level victory ticks off, and the level takes you several more minutes to beat, you know the balance is way off.
And this is on the easy (casual) level!
No, this is a pass. I paid less then seventy cents for it, and even that was perhaps more than it is worth.
Two thumbs down.
ADDENDUM: On further play, I find that you can get more coins thru the puzzle and quest options, but they become available later in the game, quest only after you have finished the story mode, which is when you needed the upgrades those coins would buy. This is very weird, and not enough to change my review.

The Treasures of Montezuma 4 is really fast-paced, you're constantly playing against the clock. It's not relaxing, your brain will constantly be on a heightened state of alert!! It's a good feeling!

The mechanics are designed excellently, which is what makes it shine so well. Once you're fully powered up by progressing through the game you'll have access to totem bonus's which are activated by creating chains of two or more matches. Each of the totem's has a different bonus effect. You also make bonus effects by matching 4+ at the same time. So there is a lot of opportunity for effecting the game. There can be some wonderful moments of scoring when you start chaining bonus's and totems together, it's possible to clear the whole board and get some massive scores, and it feels satisfying!

I've clocked 25 hours currently and am still finishing the game and chasing achievements. There are multiple game modes which you score gold, silver and bronze in. As with all match-3 games there is an element of luck involved but you can battle against this with your skills, reactions and an eagle eye!

The music is pretty cool too!

I'd highly recommend Treasures of Montezuma 4, if you want a fast-paced match-3 game there is no better.

Game Information

"The Treasure of Montezuma 4" is a Match 3 game. The game was developed by Alawar Entertainment and published by Buka Entertainment.

"The Treasure of Montezuma 4" is the fourth episode of "The Treasure of Montezuma." Previous episodes: "Treasure of Montezuma;" "Treasure of Montezuma 2" and "Treasure of Montezuma 3."

The Game Review

Game Visuals

I want to mention that the visuals in the game are well done. The visuals can be adjusted in the game's option menu.

Game Audio

I want to mention that audio for the game is well done. Even though the audio is somewhat simplistic and repetitive. The audio can be adjusted in the game's option menu as well.

Gameplay

There are two difficulty game modes to choose from: Casual and Expert. Only difference between these two difficulty game modes is how fast the time drains from the timer.

There are three different game modes: Story; Quest and Puzzle. The story mode is automatically unlocked at the start of the game. Completing this mode would unlock the quest mode. The puzzle mode is unlocked with the completion of the quest mode.

The features for each of the game modes: The story mode has roughly ninety-eight levels. Fourteen levels for each of the seven totems. The quest mode contains several task objectives that need to be completed. The puzzle mode comes with a collection of items that can unlock from solving the puzzles in that mode.

The objective of this game is rather simple. Match three or more like tokens to clear them from the board. The matches can be done horizontally or vertically. The game's scoring is based on how many tokens have been matched and the time that is left on the timer.

There are special power-up bonuses to help make matches a bit easier. There are totem power-up bonuses. They are unlocked at certain points in the game. The gold coin earned during the match 3 levels is used to upgrade the totems. The negative side of these totem power-up bonuses is that they require the same color token to match two or three times in order to activate them.

There is a replay ability tied to the match 3 levels. Replay them for better scoring and star rating.

Miscellaneous

There are five different trading cards to collect. Only three of those trading cards are given out by the game. There are several ways to get the rest of the trading card: Purchased from Steam's Community Market; Trade with friends; Booster Packs and its' Booster Pack Creator.

Final thoughts: I have found the game enjoyable to a certain extent. The replay value for the game is low. I would recommend this game, but not at the game's full price value.

A very good "match-3" game which combines the popular "match-3" gameplay with a short story, upgrades and multiple different game modes.

High replayability due to the fact that you may play the game, then go back to each level and attempt at completing the game with all gold time awards.

Fairly addictive, relaxing, but challenging. A perfect game to play whenever you just feel like having some fun beating your own scores.