Gamezebo Rating:

Everybody loves . So much so, that everybody else has tried their hand at making something similar. In Kabam's case, it's Puzzle Trooper: the same match-3 puzzle game/pseudo CCG hybrid, but with fewer dragons and a lot more burly soldiers. And tanks; can't forget the tanks. Although as derivative as it may be, it's still an incredibly fun system that works well. Heck, this time around it even feels less punishing to non-paying players!

Just in case anyone isn't familiar with the formula, it goes like this: players have a small group of characters (in this case, soldiers) that can belong to a number of different colors. Below them is a grid of colored circles/spheres/gems that, naturally, match the different unit colors. By sliding one of these colorful doohickeys around and creating groups of three or more, they can power up their soldiers and allow them to attack.

The bigger the group and the more combos (i.e. groups cleared in one turn), the higher the damage. After enough turns pass, a unit's special ability - including changing one color to another or doing direct damage - will become available. As the platoon charges through missions, and by extension enemies, more characters can be acquired for beefing up the ranks or simply upgrading favorites.