SMiniz is a new match-three puzzler from Kakao Games featuring your favourite K-pop stars

• SMiniz brings K-pop fun to the world of match-three puzzling
• Arriving later this year from Kakao Games, it's now in pre-registration
• Jump in to find content from top idol groups such as RIIZE and NCT

With K-pop far past the point of being niche and now a bona fide global phenomenon, it's no surprise we're seeing more and more mobile games based on the genre. And the latest to make its way over is SMiniz, which, while it may feature K-pop idols, feels very global in its design.

K-pop fans may already recognise that SMiniz is based on the catalogue of groups under SM Entertainment, including fan-favourites such as RIIZE, Aespa and NCT. But rather than being an RPG or narrative adventure developer, Kakao Games has offered us a match-three puzzler!

Now, the match-three genre is definitely a bit saturated at the moment. But SMiniz undoubtedly stands out due to its focus on the aforementioned K-pop idols, letting you collect photocards and other collectibles based on your favourite artists and even dress the different mascots up in outfits inspired by their iconic on-stage looks.

Matching music

If you're at all interested in SMiniz, then you'll be glad to know that it's currently in pre-registration until February 23rd on both iOS and Android. Those who sign up can net themselves plenty of exciting rewards to claim when it eventually goes live later this year.

While I may not be a K-pop fan myself (aside from thinking that movie about the demon hunters was pretty neat), I do find it interesting that Kakao went for a match-three format here. It's a sign that even for overseas developers, the massive popularity of the genre is becoming more and more notable.

But if fancy costumes, immaculate choreography and pretty catchy music isn't your thing, there are plenty more options on mobile. Why not dig into our review of Gumslinger 2: Dukes & Nukes to see why this wacky, physics-based battler gets a resounding thumbs-up from us here at Pocket Gamer?