PillPop - Match 3

pillpop is a really fun match-3 of the 'click groups of things' persuasion and it offers a surprising amount of customization.

2 game types are available: in pillpop you're clicking pills that have at least 2 more of the same color next to them, either another pill or a virus, but the latter is not clickable. 3 same-colored pills turn into a rainbow pill that can be matched with anything and it's possible to cover a lot of ground with it. viruspop is a lot easier, you're clicking groups of viruses and the only pills are rainbow ones created from bigger groups.

both game types can be played on small (8x8), normal (10x10) and big (12x12) boards with 4 or 5 colors and in 3 game modes: zen is untimed and ends at level 20, blitz is a 2-minute score attack and survive lasts until the board is filled. it's a bit like tetris, what with new rows appearing after certain intervals. I found zen a bit tedious, it takes a while to finish, but the other two are a lot of fun and survive gets really crazy on higher levels.

the presentation is fine. the graphics have that '90s shareware vibe for those who remember, cute viruses with googly eyes, and the soundtrack offers a variety of genres, you can even customize the playlist, but sadly my favorite tracks (including the one in the trailer) are way too short.

all the necessary settings are here: separate volume sliders, windowed mode (fixed size, no resolutions), color blind mode, plus in-game help explaining the game types, stats, online leaderboards for all the different variations, even in-game representation of achievements.

I really enjoyed the game, works both as a relaxing experience and a hectic one, can be enjoyed alone or played competitively, has that 'just one more try' feel to it and the price is absolutely fair as well.

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PillPop:
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How hard can it be to be a researcher in virology? My guess is that it would involve many years of study as well as learning on the job! Let’s face it, there are many viruses out there in our beautiful world of ours. Some are more deadly than others, but wouldn’t it be fabulous if you could eradicate any virus by simply playing a game of match 3? And that is exactly what you will be doing in a game of PillPop!

PillPop is a casual match 3 puzzle game developed and self-published by Dexter Games on the 25th of July 2020 on the steam platform.

The game has two types of gameplay with three modes each. The Pillpop is the first gameplay where you have to combine either 2 viruses + one pill of the same colour, or 1 virus + 2 pills of the same colour, in order to create a Match 3. While in the Viruspop gameplay, you’ll only be matching viruses of the same colour.

The 3 modes of play are Zen, Blitz and Survival. Zen mode is easy, and the game will end when you reach the last level, which is level 20. I personally prefer the Blitz and Survival modes. In the Blitz mode, you’ll only have 2 minutes, before the game ends and your goal is to reach the highest level as possible within that time. Survival mode is very similar to Tetris, where you have rows of viruses/pills dropping down from the top of the grid, and if the grid becomes full it will be game over. Bear in mind that the viruses/pills will be dropping faster and faster as the game progresses. There too, you’ll have a leader board to find out where you stand in comparison to your friends or other players.

When you have selected the gameplay and the mode, the last thing you have to choose is the size of the grid, either 8x8, 10x10, 12x12. Then you’ll be pill-popping viruses left, right and centre!

The viruses are animated, cute and fun to look at. While playing, you’ll quite often see rainbow-coloured pills; these are your super pills, and they connect all four sides of the square they are in. You might make some super Match 3 moves and points with these little beauties!

If Match 3 games have not been easy to play because you are colour blind, you’ll be pleased to know that for Pillpop, the developers have included a colour-blind mode, which is really thoughtful.

I like what I see in Pillpop; the graphics are cute, the soundtrack is excellent, and the game offers excellent replayability.

Positives:
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+ Cute graphics and animations
+ 2 styles of gameplay and 3 modes
+ Fun, easy to play and quite addictive
+ Leader boards for each of the modes
+ Achievements


Negatives:
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- No trading cards as yet

PillPop: Blast rows of viruses off the board with or without pills. A fun Match 3 game to own!

7/10

Key provided by the developer/publisher for review purposes. Any opinions expressed are entirely my own!

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This is a good cheep quickie. Simple, clean and to the point. No clicking through endless menus or story bits. If you need 5 minutes or 5 hours this will do.