The fact is, we love the match-three style of gameplay on the mobile, so it's quite excusable that developers keep coming up with more and more ways of rehashing that familiar jewel-swapping exercise, which is exactly where 4 Elements: Puzzledom fits into the gaming landscape.
Connoisseurs of the match-three game will probably be aware that this is a conversion of the popular PC title, though it's no less fitting on the mobile platform than it is on the desktop. And it manages to pack in a unique quirk that keeps it from being lost in the white noise of so many similar games.
There's some manner of slightly garbled backstory attempting to spin a yarn about a mythical kingdom governed by four magical elements: Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. These essential elements have gone out of whack, and it's up to you to restore the balance by swapping little icons around the place and allowing the energy to flow.
The story really isn't all that important, other than providing a framework to explain 4 Elements: Puzzledom’s own unique twist on the match three gameplay. The game board is built up of different levels, which are revealed as you eliminate the gems on the upper surface.
Therefore, the primary objective isn't in removing as many jewels as possible (as we usually see in this type of game) but in using them to cut a path through the elements to restore their energy.
For example, clearing away the brown earth tiles allows the green energy stream to make its way to an altar and restore life to a dying tree. The gameplay follows the same style for each of the elements - water is restored by allowing the blue energy to flow through the puzzle, while fire is unlocked by finding a route for the element's red energy to get back to its source.
All very bohemian, I'm sure you'll agree. While the bizarre mystical connotations make little difference to the gameplay, this idea of removing gems to create a channel across the game board works beautifully and makes 4 Elements: Puzzledom very easy to recommend - even if the game is ultimately a little bit too recognisable for its own good.
4 Elements: Puzzledom
Although you’ve seen the core gameplay many, many, many times before, 4 Elements: Puzzledom still manages to add a unique and vital twist to the gameplay that makes it a pleasure to decipher its cunningly dextrous puzzles. Assuming, that is, you can be bothered with yet another gem swapper
Spanner Spencer
Yes. Spanner's his real name, and he's already heard that joke you just thought of. Although Spanner's not very good, he's quite fast, and that seems to be enough to keep him in a regular supply of free games and away from the depressing world of real work.