Gems of War

Gems of War is a free-to-play fantasy role-playing game with match-3 battles. Instead of attacking enemies directly with weapons, you combine colored gems and skulls on a game board. This supplies your characters with mana, lets you cast spells and deal damage to foes.

The journey takes you through Krystara. There you explore kingdoms, put together troops and develop your hero. Behind the game is Infinity Plus Two, the studio of the Puzzle Quest creators, together with publisher 505 Games.

Gems of War was released for PC on Nov 20, 2014. The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions followed in 2015. On Nintendo Switch the game has been available since Mar 26, 2019. Versions for iOS and Android bring the puzzle battles to smartphones and tablets as well.

The console versions each belong to their original hardware generation. Using the Xbox One version on Xbox Series or the PS4 version on PS5 does not mean a separate native release.

Gems of War is available for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android. It is free to start, while additional in-game currency and packs are offered as in-app purchases.

On Switch you can switch between TV, tabletop and handheld modes and use the touchscreen. On PC, Steam supports single-player, multiplayer and cross-platform features. An internet connection is required for the online content.

The battle system combines a match-3 board with the abilities of a role-playing party. You form combinations of same-colored gems to gain mana. Skull combinations deal direct damage. Which tile you clear therefore also determines attack, defense and the pace of your spells.

Unlike in a pure puzzle game, the makeup of your characters determines which powers you can unleash with collected mana.

The base game is free, additional packs are sold separately. These include starter packs and collections of game content, among others. Progress still comes from battles, quests and building up your troops.

The various packs are additional content, not standalone sequels to Gems of War.

According to Steam, Gems of War needs at least 1 GB RAM, a DirectX 10-capable graphics card and around 800 MB of free storage. Recommended are 2 GB RAM, DirectX 11 and 1 GB storage. A broadband internet connection is among the technical requirements.

The older game description also mentions earlier Windows versions. However, the current Steam client requires Windows 10 or later.

Up to four units fight together on your side. You can include your own hero or put together a team from collected creatures and warriors. Different colors, spells and roles make choosing the group part of the tactics.

Upgrades make units stronger. New troops expand the options for attack chains, mana supply and resilient formations.

Your hero can join the puzzle battles with their own weapons. This lets you build your group not only from creatures, but also add a character with their own equipment and extra abilities. The choice of weapon determines which effect is available in battle.

Colored gems charge the abilities of your troops. A single turn can therefore pursue several goals: prepare a dangerous attack, enable a much-needed spell or deny the opponent a favorable combination. Skulls form the direct damage route on the board.

Because both sides act on the same board, it is not only the strongest unit that counts, but also the timing of its ability.

Krystara consists of more than 30 kingdoms with their own stories and tasks. The world map connects the individual areas and gives the troop collection an adventure framework. New regions open up further encounters, rewards and ways to strengthen your own group.

Each kingdom offers its own tasks and fights against computer-controlled enemies. Quests lead through the world, while additional activities provide loot, resources and ways to improve your characters. Players who prefer going solo can explore these PvE contents in depth.

The Underworld holds more factions with their own challenges and rewards. These areas add an extra setting to the kingdoms, where new fights and collecting goals open up. For team planning, this means more enemies and opportunities to try out different troop line-ups.

Gems of War offers competitive puzzle battles alongside adventure fights. In asynchronous PvP, you face teams built by other players and can climb the rankings. Your choice of troops remains just as important as the gem combinations on the board.

Alliances add shared goals and regional competitions to the game. Together with other players, you fight for dominance in Krystara. The associated rewards and bonuses feed back into the long-term building of your team.

New troops, upgraded units and additional weapons make up long-term progress. You combine ever-new groups and adjust abilities to different enemies. Collecting is therefore not just a matter of completeness, but also changes your tactical options.

Gems of War supports cross-platform features and linking of game accounts. The developer says progress can be used across supported devices. Which account links are available depends on the respective platform services.

Gems of War uses a clear, turn-based puzzle board. On Nintendo Switch, the game supports the touchscreen as well as controller input. Thanks to the step-by-step flow, you can weigh up the next combination and its consequences at your own pace.

Gems of War offers German on-screen text. On Steam, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian and Simplified Chinese are also supported interface languages. Voice audio is listed on Steam for English.