Gematombe Review

Game: Gematombe
Genre: Arcade, Puzzle
System: Nintendo Switch (also on Steam (Windows & Linux) PS4 and Xbox)
Developer|Publisher: Route 5 Games | Ratalaika Games
Age Rating: EU 7+ | US Everyone
Price: US $14.99 | UK £14.99 | EU € 14,99
Release Date: April 28th, 2023

Review code provided with many thanks to PR Hound.

Out The Jar

Gematombe is an action arcade puzzle game that feels like the result of mixing popular classics like Breakout and Puzzle Bobble. Or, as I still prefer to call it, Bust a Move, a title I still regularly dip into thanks to the Arcade Archives from Hamster on Switch. Arcade games of this style feel like quite a rare commodity in gaming. Gematombe is a welcome entry into this genre. Like many of the greats that came before it, this does feel like the start of a new franchise. It might not hit all the right notes on its first try, but if you give it a chance, you will find plenty to love here.

The plot follows a much more upbeat version of the famous Greek Mythology tale of Pandora’s Box. Or jar in this case. Well, the jar has been opened, and some happier demon incarnations of the world’s evils have escaped. Like the original tale, ‘hope’ was left in the jar, only in this story, it transforms Pandora into a superhero who is now able to confront the demons via puzzle battles in an attempt to shove them back in the jar and save the world. However, if you choose, you can actually play as one of the demon characters themselves and follow a different plot. It’s all light-hearted, silly, and fun.

Most of the time, each battle sees your chosen engage in some cheesy banter; I skipped this since I just wanted to get to the game. The effort is appreciated, but like the arcade games this takes inspiration from, it doesn’t add much to the general experience. The happy, upbeat tone is colourful and family-friendly. This all vibrates from the game’s simple cartoon-like graphical style and positive soundtrack. A score which recaptures the arcade feel. 

Clear or Crush

Playing in arcade mode sees you go head-to-head against AI opponents across six stages. You control a little paddle at the bottom of the screen with a cannon. This cannon can be angled with a small dotted trail giving you an indication of where a shot will go including any gems it will rebound off. Then you hold the button down and release it to fire. But it’s not over yet. After watching your shot bounce around for a bit, you then need to catch it back in the cannon to prevent a penalty of more gems being added to the board. If you manage to destroy six or more gems, you will send gems over to your opponent, making their game a little tricker. Keep in mind they are working against you as well.

Tutorial

The game gives you a quick-to-the-point tutorial explaining the simple controls or mechanics, although it does encourage you to figure things out for yourself. Something I quite appreciated instead of totally holding your hand. I soon learned that rebounding from one coloured gem, say orange, to a line of blue gems would see all the blue gems collapse instead of just the one. Keeping your eyes out for opportunity is the key to success. This feels like a game you don’t have to be too experienced with to get a lot of fun out of it, which is handy as you will probably want to play against a loved one in versus mode.

Defeat your Opponent

You have two goals to defeat your opponent. Either clear your board entirely of all gems or crush your opponent gradually by sending more gems over to their screen. The former objective is the most desirable outcome as that has you win instantly. But depending on the skill of your opponent, this is not always easy to do. Three difficulties are available for AI opponents. As well as arcade and versus mode with a friend, you can play a survival mode, which has you last as long as you can against an AI opponent as the game gradually increases in difficulty.

Other than that, there’s just a practice mode if you need to hone your skills. This is all fine, but it makes the game feel a little paper thin. The single player might keep you entertained for a weekend, but unless the verses really hit the mark with you and a loved one, you may not return to this one too often.

Conclusion: The First Step

Gemtombe is a good original arcade puzzle with a nice happy tone to it. As mentioned, this feels like a good beginning. But other games in the genre have had a long head start meaning this still feels like it has a bit of catching up to do. The game could just do with a bit of refinement in more areas. More depth to the puzzle gameplay, more game modes and more levels. This package is fine, but it feels like the starting point of something much better to come later. If you need a quick arcade fix, then keep this on your radar when scanning the eShop.

Final Verdict: I Like It