Table of Contents
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Losing Is Quite Fun Actually
Match Masters is another game I decided to play because it was an offer on Swagbucks. I completed the offer and got my Swagbucks, and I enjoyed the game. I figured that was a good reason to write a review.
Match Masters Review Information
Why Did I Review This Game?
I thought it was a fun game, and I wanted to explain what I liked about the game.
How Long Have I Been Playing Match Masters?
I played the game for about a week. I was playing in the Crystal Cave area. My ranking score was 1167.
Gameplay Review
How the Game Works
Match Masters is a match-3 game in the same style as Candy Crush Saga and other clone games like it.
You match three things to score points. You create and make powerups to score more points. If you combine powerups, you get different effects.
The game is styled as a competition. Every match is a round between you and another player. The person who scores the most points at the end of a match wins. So just to be 100% clear, Match Masters is a multiplayer game. Outside of single-player sections, you are playing against other people.
I Love Match-3 Games!
Before I get into the review, I like to state that I finally feel affirmed that my time spent playing hundreds of hours in match-3 games like Candy Crush is worth something!
The Game Is Fair
Match Masters is a fair competition. There is not much another player can do to get an edge over you other than make better matches. The only thing that might give a player an extra chance of winning is the booster you pick to use in matches.
The rare boosters do nicer things. These more powerful boosters cost coins, and those cost money. But even with the nicer boosters you can still lose. So skill still is the deciding factor.
I have lost with diamond boosters to people with considerably weaker boosters. You can’t just pick the strongest booster and expect to win just because of that.
Because of the random element of match-3 games, some players have a better time than others due to luck. But to get the most points and extra moves, you need to find the best matches and make them fast. Making good matches is something you can consistently try to do.
Also, keep in mind luck helps you out as well! People love to point out times they lost because other players were lucky. But people don’t seem to remember all the times luck helped them.
If you want a play skilled-based match-3 game that is free and you have nothing to lose, then Match Masters is a good choice.
The Game Is Exiting!
The game does a very good job of making it feel like a competition. The crowd cheers when you create powerups. I love the fast pace of the game. Even if the other player waits their whole time bank, a match still won’t take too long to finish.
While Match Masters is not different than most match-3 clones, the presentation is what makes the game feel so fun and exciting.
The Game Rewards Skill
The game has a mechanic that gives you extra moves when you create powerups. Play well, and you get to play longer.
Sure, you can get lucky and create powerups without even trying. But this won’t happen too often. Make too many bad matches, and the game will end fast. You won’t score very many points.
The Different Arena Types Were Nice
As I moved up in the ranks, the types of arenas I played in changed. To score many points, you have to notice what changes.
For example, in one arena, there was a special match-three piece in the center. This piece slowly gains points until somebody matches it.
The Boosters Are Nice
The boosters you get to pick during matches are nice. At first, I thought maybe the boosters in the game would be annoying. But I think they are balanced well.
Some boosters are more helpful than others. I suppose this would always be the case in a competitive style game. Some of the rare boosters do a lot of things to the point I wonder if they are a bit too good.
The one thing I noticed right away is that diamond boosters are 100% flashier than lower rank boosters. That doesn’t mean these boosters are always the best to use, but they do look the best. They often have more animations and more interesting characters when used.
The game has even flashier and more expensive-looking boosters. Legendary. The few times I have used these boosters, I have been very impressed. With how useful they were and how they looked. It does get me wondering about pay to win.
But even with a legendary booster, you can still lose if you are bad at the game like me. So, I suppose that makes things fair.
I wonder if the game becomes an arms race to save stronger boosters. I can confirm if a player is already somewhat good, using diamond boosters does tend to give them an advantage. How much of an advantage is hard to quantify.
I have won some matches with just silver and gold boosters. I once won a rumble match with a gold booster even though the other two high scoring players had diamond boosters.
The game balances the boosters enough I can’t say it is pay to win. But it seems kind of close sometimes.
Having nicer boosters is a bit of a crutch or penalty mode for less skilled players. Use your booster enough times, and even a bad player might win a match. But long-term, you are going to need to be good at match-3 to win the most. The one area I have noticed having diamond boosters helps the most is in the single player modes.
To use a booster, you have to power it up by making matches. I think this is very fair. It is possible to use your booster more than somebody else, though from being slightly luckier.
Everybody gets the same free boosters. But to use other ones, you have to unlock them. If you are a new player, it will take a while before you have access to all boosters.
One thing I love about Match Masters is if you win a match, you get the booster you used back. Meaning if you win often, you don’t need to worry about running out. Of course, this sucks if you are not having a good time at the game.
The Other Game Modes Are Nice
Match Masters has multiple game modes.
There are mini tournaments you can play in. I liked that this mode was more competitive. It seems as if better players focus on playing here.
I found myself playing Match Rumble more often than the standard game mode. Players tend to be ultra-competitive when playing this mode. So I lose a lot. But since you are not waiting for another player to take their turn, Match Rumble games are faster. So despite having a low win percentage, I enjoy playing Match Rumble more.
There were also single player modes that played like normal match-three games. The goal was to get points in a round to get trophies.
One sneaky thing the game does is change these single player modes to be considerably harder after you progress in the game. When I first started, I could beat all or at least most single player challenges and get all the rewards. Now some single player levels are so hard I can’t beat them.
It is a shame. As I really like playing this modes. But it feels like a waste of time, boosters, and coins playing single player modes some times.
Presentation Review
How the Game Looks
Match Masters looks very good. The game is stylized as a game show. But outside of the tutorial, you don’t see much of this anymore.
The menus and options look nice, and nothing looks bad. The game area looks like any other match-three game ever. But it looks good, and I don’t have any complaints.
The characters you get to pick to play are nice. But it would have been nice to see more customization options. Or even better, let me create my own character. Why do I have to be these characters?
How the Game Sounds
The sounds and music in the game are nice. I felt they started to become a bit repetitive, but I suppose you can say that about any game you play for many hours.
I can’t say the music was memorable, but it wasn’t bad. I suppose I remember the main menu tune. I like the Match Rumble song a lot I guess. Maybe because I heard it so many times.
How Does This Game Get You to Spend Money?
The Game Sells Coins
To keep playing in matches, you need boosters. While you can wait for free boosters, some of these boosters cost coins. To get more coins, you need to spend money to get them. But you can get coins for free in the game in a few ways.
The Game Sells Boosters
While you can buy boosters with coins, you can also but them directly with money. There is not that much of a distinction between these two options. Buying boosters directly with money seems to be a better deal most of the time.
Is This Game Fair if You Don’t Spend Money?
The game is mostly fair. There are free boosters you can use, and you can win games with these free boosters.
If you want to use the more rare boosters, you need a lot of coins. But you don’t get enough coins to use these boosters often.
But if you are OK with whatever you get for free, you will get enough free booster to play the game semi-frequently without any issues. Most of the time, I become bored of playing the game after losing so many times before running out of boosters.
How Does This Game Annoy You?
The only annoying thing in the game is having to wait for free boosters. Instead of making players wait for energy or lives you need boosters to play matches. You can’t start a match without one booster.
You either have to wait for free boosters or spend coins to get one.
My Overall Thoughts on Match Masters
I found myself enjoying Match Masters more than I thought I would. I like the competitive nature of the game, and it is a fun match there game to play. The game is fair as you reasonably can get with its boosters. The game is not perfect, but it is one of the better mobile games I have played in quite a while.
It is no surprise that other developers are trying to copy this formula and make their own versions. It is that good.
Do I Recommend People Play Match Masters?
I recommend Match Masters if you want to play match-3 games with other people. Match Masters might be a good game if you are very competitive as well. But if you don’t like match-3 games, then I don’t think you will like this one. Match Masters plays like most match-3 games.
Also, if you don’t want everything to be a huge competition then I recommend playing any of the literal thousands of single player match-3 games instead. Match Masters is a game of showing no mercy and scoring more points even after you won a match. Some people might not like that.
Will I Keep Playing Match Masters?
I was not at first. But after playing the game some more, I enjoyed myself. I am playing the game much more often now. After having played various match-3 games for thousands of hours, it is nice to get to show my match-3 skills off.
I guess I am in my villain arc now. Because I love destroying opponents by scoring all the points possible. It fills a desire for competition that allows me to still play my favorite type of game. It is nice. Now if only I could actually be good at the game and stop losing every match.