Gems of War Review

[Michael {United Critics}]

General information:

If you want to scratch that match-3 itch, look no further than Gems of War. It is a modern match-3 game where you control a chosen team of 4 troops with abilities that get charged by the color of the gems you match.
There are many, many different aspects to the game, I will try to make a comprehensive review but I highly recommend you play the game yourself and see all of the options truly available.

Unit Explanation

Each unit has basic stats, HP, armor, attack, magic, and mana. You need to charge the mana fully to use the unit’s ability. To do this you need to match gems of the troop’s color. Abilities range from gaining stats and dealing damage to exploding gems or even self-destructing.
Troops are separated by rarity. There are common, rare, very rare, epic, legendary, and mythic troops. Common are very simple and usually only need 1 mana color, while mythic troops are extremely rare, use 3 mana colors but have devastating abilities that can change the turn of events with a single cast.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3347629007

Hero avatar
Your hero avatar can also be used instead of a troop, their stats are dependant on their class (which can be changed at any time) and the ability is determined by the weapon you wield. Just as there are different rarity troops, there are different rarity weapons. Better rarity doesn’t necessarily mean better ability, but the tendency is high.

Story?

There is no classic overarching story in Gems of War. Instead, for each quest you get a mini story with a different NPC being told in a very interesting comic style. Or you can just skip it entirely and enjoy the gameplay. Entirely up to you!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3347629626

Progress & the grinding

You start off rather weak, you only have your hero avatar and a small collection of units to choose from. As you progress and unlock more and more weapons and troops, your options will increase and you will form a very powerful team.
Eventually, it just becomes a grind to find the most powerful units but that won’t happen for quite a while so no worries.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3347629429

Resources

There’s a plethora of resources to collect, like gold, souls, gems, keys for different chests, seals, shards, trait stones, deeds, orbs, tokens, medals, and a lot more. Each one has a key role in upgrading your kingdom and improving your gaming experience.
You can use resources to buy upgrades, craft weapons, and troops, get temporary boosts, equip stat bonuses, and even gift them to other players.

Guild

Find people who will help you evolve in this game's guild system. Pair up with up to 30 people and complete guild tasks which will earn every guild member the resources needed to improve. In addition, simply by playing (and via other means), you can collect seals that accumulate within the guild. Once the guild has collected a predetermined amount your chances of finding better troops dramatically increase.

PvP

The late-game beast that is PvP. A never-ending hunt for the biggest numbers and the will to prove that you are better than others. In this game, you fight against teams created by other players to earn VP (Victory Points) and climb that PvP ladder. Higher ranks at the end of the week get more and better resources.

Game Modes

Are you tired of always using the same combos? Try some of these different modes to mix it up a little.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3347629319

Delve
When delving your board will have random stones which cannot be matched but can be destroyed with explosions. It adds variety and makes it difficult to chain abilities that change colors.

Gnome Vault
Fight Gnomes to get their treasure. These gnomes can be annoying to beat but the rewards are very much worth it. Epic Vault holds even greater goods, so always try to do these when possible.

Treasure Hunt
Puzzle mode where you match money instead of gems. Collect as much money as you can in a limited amount of turns. Coins make pouches, pouches make chests, and chests make the motherload! When you run out of moves, you get random resources depending on the situation on the board.

Arena
Draft a random team where all 4 units are level 15 and fight against other people’s teams for the glory in the Arena. Win 6 matches to earn maximal rewards. You are only allowed to lose once. After the second loss, Arena ends and you get win resources based on the number of wins.

Audio & Video

Sadly, there is not much to mention here. The music is generic, and the sounds are more annoying than helpful. I got Mana Surge, I got it! No need to hear it, every, single, time. I highly recommend playing muted.

Visually, it’s not the prettiest game out there, but it gets the job done. There aren’t any animations of abilities, the art is simple and matches the tone of the game. What matters is the board and you can’t go wrong there in a game like this. Colors are bright and easily distinguishable, and each color has a small symbol to further differentiate itself.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• You can pick it up and drop it at any time.
  
• Quick and fast matches.
  
• Steam and Mobile share account.
  
• Story being told in comic style.
  
• Witty humor.
  
• Guilds.
  
• Regular updates.
  
• Weekly events.

Cons

• Grindy.
  
• Sometimes RNG fest.
  
• The game tends to give your enemy better gem drops.
  
• Nonintuitive UI.
  
• Overwhelming amount of troops and hero weapons.
  
• Many in-game ads for in-game purchases.

Summary

Gems of War is a modern classic and a game everyone should at least give a chance. It’s great in small bursts, for example, while waiting in queue for your next match of DOTA2 or CS2.

Reviewer: ”Nex”

Rating: 7/10