If you’re like me, you’re still trying to seek out something as great as Puzzle Quest. The Marvel version does a pretty good job but doesn’t fully hit the spot, so how about Battle Orbs? It’s certainly got the right look but, again, it’s not quite there.
You’re an adventurer going from level to level, attacking monsters for the sake of treasure. Action is of the match-3 puzzle variety with you dragging around gems to match up and inflict damage. Battle Orbs adds a strategic level by allowing you to inflict melee or ranged damage, as well as send your pet companion out to fight. That means you can rack up some pretty impressive combos if you plan things out well.
There’s a fair amount of grinding to Battle Orbs, both thanks to its genre and the fact it’s a freemium title. As you progress, you’ll find yourself having to backtrack in order to be strong enough to stand a chance, and that’s certainly a bit of an irritant later on.
Battle Orbs is mostly quite fun though. I’d have preferred it to be a premium experience for the sake of not feeling duped into grinding, but it’s still a reasonably potent mix of genres.