Royal Match Review [Mobile Puzzle Game] 2023
Royal Match is a compelling free-to-play mobile puzzle game by Dream Games that has garnered immense popularity, with over 50 million downloads on Google Play (android) alone.
It’s a match-3 puzzler where players complete various challenges and quests to ultimately help King Robert fix up his gaff.
Royal Match features simple but crisp graphics that create an immersive gameplay experience.
There are tons of unique levels to unlock and with each win, you’ll earn points and rewards, including the stuff the King so desperately needs for his lavish lifestyle.
In this review, I’ll provide an in-depth analysis, going over its merits and pitfalls.
Caveat: This post contains gameplay speculation and personal opinion. It may also contain adult comedy, sarcasm, and Human error. It is not advice and is solely for entertainment and informational purposes.
Royal Match Review: Gameplay, Tournament, & My Team Battles
Royal Match is a classic Match-3 game.
It’s a lot like Candy Crush; one of the first huge mobile puzzlers.
But Royal Match feels more dynamic and is incredibly well-polished and precise:
The cartoony, and blocky graphics suit the gameplay to the ground, and leave you feeling rather chilled out after a game or two.
Soon enough, as you make progress through the early levels, you unlock more and more features. And before long, you’re competing in Tournaments, Challenges, and Quests.
The funny thing is, most of these Events are actually irrelevant, in that you don’t actually do anything besides continue with the main game and complete levels.
Events tend to be:
Gather as many points as you can by completing levels in a set time
And “My Team” (the in-game alliance system) is similar, in that you complete the normal levels but the progression is calculated as a team, so you can work together to earn prizes:
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though because it keeps you engaged and adds a level of urgency to proceedings.
How Do You Play Royal Match? (Full Review)
Here’s a screenshot of a standard level:
This is a simple Match-3 puzzle game where the goal is to beat levels by matching items (Shields, Crowns, Books, and Leaves).
You normally have other items to clear off the board as well, like the Vases and Eggs in the example above. And you’ll be given a set number of moves in which to achieve it.
If you happen to fail a level, you’ll lose 1 of your 5 lives.
There are 2 types of special Boosters (or Boosts) that might help if you’re struggling:
- Pre-Game Boosters, like Rockets, TNT, and Light Balls, which are placed randomly on the board at the beginning of the level
- In-Game Boosters, like the Royal Hammer, Arrows, Cannons, and the Jester’s Hat. Each of these has its own unique ability and purpose
You can earn Boosters and power-ups as you complete levels.
Overall, I think Royal Match is actually a pretty cool game. It’s familiar but still feels fresh.
Royal Match Pros: Quality Match-3 Game, Offline Play, Coins (in-app purchases), & Moreā¦
There’s loads to love about Royal Match; it’s a great free mobile Match 3 game.
It’s clean, fresh, and offers the type of puzzling that can be a great way to waste your time when you’re waiting for somebody, or out and about.
The game’s theme is charming and cute, with a fantasy-land aesthetic. And even though Royal Opulence isn’t my personal choice for Cosplaying, I imagine it to be quite popular.
And there’s always something to do in Royal Match:
It’s also great for playing on the couch with a semi-decent movie on in the background.
I’ve been playing Royal Match for a while now and have never been jammed up between a paywall and some difficult level.
Meaning, you may never need to buy Coins or spend any money on Boosters in this game.
In fact, there are loads of free Coins just thrown at you (and power-ups and extra lives, too).
Check out the 30 minutes of free lives and 7201 free Coins in the image below:
You can also win prizes for competing in Challenges, as I did below (that’s me in the #1 spot):
Another plus point is the fact that you can play Royal Match offline. Soooo many modern games require you to be hooked up to your wi-fi to log in, but not here. -Great for when you’re out and about and need something to pick up and play.
And there’s also an in-game community called, “My Team”. Here you can join with and communicate with other players, give them lives, and as mentioned above, earn and receive bonus items and unlimited lives yourself:
In summary, here’s the Good:
- Top Quality Match-3 Puzzle Game
- Solid Graphics and Fantastic in-game Animations
- Free To Play with no need for in-game purchases
- No in-game Ads to watch
- Offline Play is available
- There is an in-game Community called “My Team” with Challenges and Events
- Plus, there’s a shedload of things to do like Tournaments, Team Contests, Mini Games, Royal League, and more)
But before we grade, let’s quickly go over the Cons.
Royal Match Cons: Pointless Progression & King Robert’s Face
I’ve enjoyed my time with Royal Match, enough to stay on after this review. But in fairness to the process, I want to highlight some of the negatives I’ve uncovered.
The first is a general observation about the game’s simplicity outside of the actual puzzling:
- You complete a level, win some goodies for the King, watch him as he flexes on the masses, then rinse and repeat.
Still, the only thing that really irked me was King Robert’s faceā¦ It’s everywhere in this game!
There’s no avoiding him!
He seems to be on every level, just there, staring at you from a window on the screen. All animated and blinking…
There really should be a way to swap him out for something else, something fluffy.
Surprised I haven’t mentioned “Spending” or Paywalls?
Truth is, I really couldn’t because I never felt any pressure to spend in this game.
I haven’t come across any impossible-to-beat levels, and in honesty, by the time I’ve used up my free lives, I’m ready to get on with the rest of my day.
But even if I wanted to play on, there are tons of free lives floating around. -I could get them from Challenges, Tournaments, or teammates.
That said, I have read user reviews about Royal Match getting really tough after level 200, and folk saying that they got stuck on a really challenging level, but I’ve not seen any evidence of this myself, yet.
As for spending money, there are in-game purchases available should you want them. A current deal is called, Endless Treasure, where for Ā£2.99 you can get x1 Royal Hammer, 3000 Coins, and x1 TNT.
There are also “Team Gift Offers” where from Ā£9.99, you can get a bunch of stuff, and also gift your teammates 15 minutes of free lives each:
As a matter of perspective, I haven’t spent any money on Royal Match and am currently on level 98. I hold on account:
- 14175 Coins
- 18 Royal Hammers
- 13 Arrows
- 13 Cannons
- 14 Jester Hats
- and a bunch of other stuff
Final Thoughts on Royal Match & Rating (iOS/Android Mobile Puzzler)
I really didn’t know what to expect from Royal Match, especially with all the adverts I’ve seen.
In the end, it was a great, and fairly simple, mobile puzzle game.
Years ago, I used to play Candy Crush and playing Royal Match is a reminder of just how good these games can be.
As mentioned above, I’ll be staying on with Royal Match. It’s a fun game that offers a solid challenge while also managing to remain pretty relaxed.
That said, this game won’t achieve 5 Stars because it’s missing that long-term strategic element that helps to keep you locked in.
However, for what it’s aiming for; to be a top-notch puzzler, well, it comes very close to perfection.
Royal Match is available for download from the Apple App (iOS) and the Google Play Store (Android).
I would highly recommend it.
Play it or interested? Feel free to have your say in the comments below.
You can find all my mobile game reviews over here!
Old Cynic’s Grade:
Update: I am now level 351 and am comfortable winning stages without spending money.
Note: This review was based on the Apple App Store version of the game.
Copyright: oldcynic.com
Images are screenshots used by way of review/tutorial
Iāve been playing Royal Match for about 6 months or so (when I have a lull in E&P) and it has been a lot of fun! I found a good team and we often collect some good loot in team challenges. Getting close to level 3000. Have spent a little bit not much. Yes the levels do get harder and sometimes it will take days to get through a particularly difficult one but that is part of the fun and the challenge.
Thank you Ariana, thatās what I was thinking (about the challenge of harder levels). This game was much better than I was anticipating. Itās easy to spend too much time levelling tho!
If you havenāt already found a good team, join us in Hunting Wolfs! Only requirement is the give at least 15 helps each week. We often earn 1000 to 6000 coins each week in team challenges.
Maybe I will. Thank you!
I love watching the king getting drowned, poisoned, or burned in the ads (in E&P)šš
My wife plays it and at thousands level already. She even traded playing E&P for it. I don’t know how fun it is but I’m good just watching it in the ads…. lol
Hey PHOL6, your comment on the E&P review inspired this post, thanks. E&P is a lifestyle, Royal Match is a game. Both good but serve different purposes. Thanks again!