With all the merge games on the market, here's why Merge Topia-Hotel Tycoon should be at the top of your list

It seems that almost every week you can discover a new merge mechanic game in some style or another popping up on mobile devices, and it makes sense, the gameplay is very portable-friendly. But that does lead you to wonder, which should I invest my time in? Yolo Games has put forward an incredibly strong candidate in Merge Topia-Hotel Tycoon.

You play as McGee, a lady who has recently suffered heartache and doesn't let anyone forget it. Arriving at Marvel Island, you will need to turn this empty island into a top-class resort by merging your way to the top in a three-to-one system, unlocking extra areas, and recruiting more workers to make your dreams come true.

The organisation is incredibly satisfying

If you manage to merge more items, you will get more results. So, five merges give two items, ten give four, and so on. You will have a lot of incentives to keep your materials all neatly organised for the big merges, and that is one of the oddly cathartic parts of the game; the sheer joy of having each category all neatly stacked.

The biggest issue you’ll run into is if you want to maximise the returns of every merge; the island will run out of space fast as you hoard the materials, and to increase island space you need to clear obstacles, resulting in more materials. It becomes an interesting balancing act of what to keep to get more difficult items, and which ones you should sacrifice.

You will never be wanting for resources

A lot of games in this area have a habit of preying on the time of the player to get more monetisation; you can pay for faster build times or buy material packs. We tried Merge Topia for a few days and it never once felt like the developers were trying this angle.

Yes, you do have to set your builders to clear obstacles and some items take time to merge, but it hardly ever takes longer than a tea break to come back and find your builders are free for their next task. Even resources fly at you so thick and fast that your main issue will tend to be having too much to work with, which is a considerably better position to be in.

There is so much to do

Merge Topia has so much content to enjoy, you won’t even get bored with it. Whether it’s as simple as merging items for the game's many missions, unlocking new characters to play with, or harvesting the ingredients to cook recipes for the game's order system, there are always some goals to keep you going.

Outside of the main story, when you get to a high enough level you can open your own zoo. It’s quite a chill little side story that lets you merge a variety of animals, from Unicorns to Rhinos to that staple of all zoos, a Labrador. The zoo plays at a much slower pace than the main island, and you'll have to wait about three hours each time to let the resources you need replenish, but it is quite a cute distraction.

It is a rather eventful game

Whilst the zoo and your main resort island are temporary, you can also get involved in a myriad of event islands on a regular basis. During our playing time, there have been a huge variety of events pop up, from Outer space, Skiing, Camping, and even a Super Bowl island.

If you manage to complete the limited-time goals by merging your way through your event stamina, you’ll earn some excellent rewards to truly customise your island and its inhabitants. These skins for both characters and buildings add quite a nice flair to keep everyone's island looking unique.

There is truly a near-neverending range of content to keep you playing Merge Topia, and trying to fit as many items into one merge as you can will always give you a little hit of dopamine. It is a fantastic game to relax with whenever you have a minute, and since it doesn't take days to complete each task, your islands will always be ready when you are.

If you’d like to try it for yourself and create your own island paradise, then you can find Merge Topia-Hotel Tycoon available to download now from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. It’s a free-to-play game with in-app purchases available.