Update 11/1/14. The game store page shows full controller support (meaning this game can be launched and played entirely with a controller). I tested with a usb xbox 360 controller (the most frequently used controller on Steam) and found that nothing in the game can be controlled with a controller, there are also no options to enable controller support. No real gameplay changes. Still about the same amount of content as over 6 months ago. The menus are still clunky. Updates are slow and infrequent, not sure what is actually being done with them. Seems like a tweak here and there, no real content being added overtime. More than 80% of the menu items are still entirely disabled. You still need to scroll to see all the menus but you still can't use the scroll wheel you have to click and drag behind the menu as if you were on a touchscreen. This gives the game a more authentic mobile port feeling.
Update 6/9/14: Played another 2 hours of the game. Not much has changed. The small amount of content in the game is still fun. The menus still feel ported over from mobile and are not well suited for mouse--you'll find yourself needing to click-hold and drag the main menu around to get to the different options. The developer replied to my review, only commented on the items related to price though. The developer has stated that he's decided to remove the more advanced pet features from this game (not yet present, pets show "coming soon" on the menu) and make a seperate game out of the majority of the planned pet features.
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This is an early access game and I will update my review as time goes on to reflect the current state of the game.
$30 is definitely way too much for this game, even once it reaches full release.
Also, do not buy expecting the game currently has full controller support, as currently advertised on the Steam store page. Sadly, there is also absolutely no controller support to be found within the game at this time. It is best practice to only put list features currently in game on the side Steam features at a glance area but it seems like the developer jumped ahead and added what may possibly be added in the future. That is, provided he doesn't decide to move that feature to his "next game" as he has been doing with other promised features.
On first impression you'll realize you just bought a port of the iOS puzzle game for about 30x more than it costs on a portable device. The game has awkward menus that one must click and hold with the mouse to slide them around. It feels quite awkward. You are likely to think the menus are broken, as it seems like things are off screen and there isn't any intuitive way to access the off-screen menu items with a standard mouse.
Even in early access, the developer talks so highly of his game that I thought perhaps it would blow me away. I imagined never before seen mechanics and gameplay but found myself disspointed with the hype. I would recommend waiting until the price is reduced to $15 max.
It's interesting to find a game in early access where feedback is highly censored and not welcome from experienced fans of the genre. What is the point of making your game early access if you aren't willing to make the game others want to buy and play?
The gameplay itself is limited to one mode at the moment where you play until the gamespace fills up. This is quite challenging and fun. As you play you match 3 elements and each match creates new elements. These new elements then start to appear in the pieces you are given to make creating new elemets even easier. It's always exciting to try and see what new element comes next and it makes for that authentic "just one more game" feeling.
Sound effects are minimal and nice, they seem just right for this kind of game. The music is a bit repetitive with 3 or so tracks, they seem similar and are quite short. The music has the same low quality mono sounding echo that the music in Faerie Solitaire has. Hopefully the music will get a nice upgrade in quality as game development goes on.
You will find that the developer for this game has an interesting "my way or the highway" type personality. When the game was first released as early access the forums filled up with potential customers (many of which love puzzle games and own his previous game on Steam and are genuinely interested in purchasing and playing this game) wondering why the price for this game is 3x higher than any other puzzle game on Steam, including the best selling games in this genre.
The developer started deleting price topics and making rules that comments are welcome as long as they are not about the price. He would then say that if you don't like the price then you must not be a true fan of quality puzzle games because he loves this game he is creating. He even started telling the gamers that this game isn't for you if you think $30 is too much. Requesting an explanation of what makes the game so unique results in a pasted copy of the match 3 concepts that are in this game, nothing unique or exciting about it.
Next up the developer created a sub forum called "Price Topics Go Here" and started closing and moving topics. You would think having so many topics about the price would give a clue as to what action is needed next for a healthy community. The sub-forum became too much of a hassle and was closed. Now he has one pinned (and locked) topic about price being something he will not discusss, even if it is questions about what makes the game worth 3x more than the competition.
I would definitely wait on this title--you won't have much of a chance to give input. If you don't like how things are--then, as he would say, "This game isn't for you."