There are a lot of roguelikes out there, but one subgenre that’s been popping up recently is the Match-3 puzzle roguelike. Think Puzzle Quest, but with permadeath and different mechanics. If you’ve not played Puzzle Quest, then you can consider this a recommendation for that as well.
In the simplest terms, Witching Stone is a puzzle roguelike where you match gems in specific orders in order to cast spells. For example, a spell might require two upside-down triangles to cast, while another might require an upside-down triangle, a circle, a square, and then another upside-down triangle. If you manage to match just do the two upside-down triangles, you’ll cast the first spell, but if you manage to match the second one, you’ll get both spells.
So far so simple – that’s where the roguelike element comes in. As you fight through different battles you’ll get new spells, new passive buffs like more health or mana, as well as little badges which can alter your spells by allowing them to steal health, or inflict special statuses. You have to pick and choose where you’ll go to try and get new buffs or upgrades, and eventually fight a boss to get to the next level.
Boasting a cute pixel art style as well as a great soundtrack, which would be enough of a draw for some people on its own, the main draw here really is just the combination of the core puzzle gameplay and it’s roguelike elements. Managing to end up with six spells that are all cast in one five-match sequence is an amazing experience, and if you can build that around different abilities or badges, you’re in for a really good time.
All in all, I managed to unlock nearly everything in the game in around 10 hours, and I’ll definitely be jumping back from time to time purely because it’s such a great experience. So, if you’ve been looking for a bite-sized game, one that actually saves your runs too, then Witching Stone is the answer, and you’ll not regret it.
