One of the best puzzle RPGs gets another chance
By Andrew Webster, an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.
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The team over at Capy Games has a real knack for inventive takes on seemingly simple puzzle games. I first realized this when playing the colorful Critter Crunch way back in 2009, and nowadays, I’m reminded of it whenever I squeeze in a few rounds of Grindstone on my phone. Tucked away in between those two releases was Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes — which originally debuted on the Nintendo DS — an often overlooked game that might just be the most engrossing puzzle RPG I’ve ever played. Now it has a new lease on life with a rerelease for modern platforms.
Clash of Heroes is a match-three game, but in practice, it’s quite different from something like Candy Crush or even Puzzle Quest. Basically, the things you are matching are soldiers and other combat units, and matching them is how you do battle. The screen is divided into two halves — you on the bottom, your opponent on top — and you’re presented with a grid full of different kinds of units that you can move around. Match three of the same type vertically, and they’ll get ready to attack; match them up horizontally, and they’ll create a defensive wall. The goal (usually) is to deplete your enemy’s health by pushing your attacks through the warriors in front of them.
The game is turn-based, so you’ll make a few moves before switching over to your opponent, like in a classic Final Fantasy-style RPG. The complexity ramps up pretty quickly. There are different types of units, all with unique styles of
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