Overview – developed by Zoo Corporation and published by Eastasiasoft, Pretty Girls Pop Match is the latest puzzle title in the waifu puzzler series, this time using a match three style of play. Challenge 100 missions in Quest mode, or take on a 3 minute score challenge to try and get as many points as possible. This version of the game is available for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation, with a link to each platform at the bottom of the review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Eastasiasoft for providing the copy of Pretty Girls Pop Match that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review. There is a lack of story for this release, so I will be moving directly into covering the gameplay section.
Gameplay – this is a rather simple match three puzzler, using a system that is similar to the likes of Bejeweled or Candy Crush Saga, where players match three or more gems on screen. The core of the gameplay takes place in the Quest Mode, where players can challenge 100 different puzzles, with a variety of objectives. The most common missions are to destroy a set number of a specific jewel, or to attain a target score.
The further the player gets into quest mode, the more challenging the stages will get, introducing items that need to be destroyed by matching gems next to them. During the different stages, the player will have a limited number of turns to complete the stage. If the player runs out of turns, the stage will fail and the player must start over. But this is not the only way to fail a stage, as the player can get a game over if they are unable to make a match.
To help the player, there are special magic items that can be created during puzzles. These are made by arranging the gems in set patterns. If a line of 4, a T shape or more are made, the magic items will appear if the correct pattern is made. These magic items are the rocket, which can blast away a line, either horizontally or vertically, the bomb which destroys a chunk of gems and the sword which seek out gems. The last is the wand, which will destroy all of a single Gem.
When the stage is cleared, the remaining moves will be put on the field as bombs, destroying gems that are all around them. There is an upper limit to the number of bombs that can be used, with the remaining moves going to 0 when reached. After this occurs, any new connections from gems that drop down will add to the final score. The player will then be awarded blue gems, which are tied to the points that have been earned during the stage.
During the adventure, the player will encounter four heroic girls who will join the party, accompanying them on their adventure. The first is the Nun who will guide the player on their adventure, providing advice and explanations on mechanics. Then we have the Ninja, Warrior and Mage, who will increase the power of the special magic items, increasing efficiency. At the start of a challenge, the player can select the girl they want to assist.
The party’s power ups are set at 1 star, with the ability to upgrade and increase their power, using the blue crystal gems. These improvements will allow for bigger explosions, more gems being cleared and more swords to seek out gems. The special abilities of the girls can be increased to a maximum of 3, with level 2 needing 1000 blue gems and level 3 requiring 3000. These power ups can be earned faster fi the player repeats stages, making the later stages easier.
Away from the main adventure mode is the score attack, which is a three minute challenge, where players must do their best to score as many points as possible. Then there is the Diorama system, which allows players to create images, using the girls, backgrounds and a variety of stickers. This is more of an afterthought as it adds no real substance to the game, with the limited usage and no real way to interact with it.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to move onto the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – this is a pretty simple to control game, with the d-pad/thumb stick being used to control the cursor to select the gems and the A button to move them. This works pretty well, allowing players to quickly pick up and play the game. There is an alternate touch screen option, which can be a little more comfortable for those who play these types of games. However, I found that it was a little inconsistent, especially when trying to swap magic items around.
Difficulty – there is not much to the difficulty of this game, as the majority of the challenges are easily beatable. The only real aspects of the challenge come from the limited number of turns, along with the random chance that lack of matches will end the stage. These moments of match failure are frustrating, as they can happen more often with the more complex stage layouts. But aside from these minor complaints, there is a fairly beatable challenge.
Presentation – from a visual perspective, the game lives up to its name, with the pretty girls who have a pleasing anime art style, with a lot of fanservice built into them. The stage visuals are rather plain with static backgrounds for the environments, that are drawn well but don’t add much to the game. The music is simple too, with rather generic compositions that work well in game. There is voice work, but it is limited and doesn’t add much to the experience.
Final Thoughts – I enjoy puzzle games, so I picked this up and dove straight into it. The match three style of puzzle game is something that has been done to death, but this makes it a little different with the power-ups that the girls give. The art is pleasing but lacks variety after all of the girls are added to the party. I did enjoy playing through the adventure mode, going through all of it in a few hours of non-stop play.
I then jumped into the score attack mode, which was a nice change from the quest mode, giving a more arcade style experience. I just wish that there was a leaderboard or selectable time options to prolong the score attack. The Diorama mode didn’t really add much to my experience, as it pretty basic, but it wouldn’t be a Pretty Girls game without it. Overall I can recommend this with ease, as it offers a fun puzzle experience for a modest price.
In the end, I give Pretty Girls Pop Match a final score of 3/5. This is a simple puzzle title, using the well-established match three gameplay style, with some fanservice thrown in. The different power-ups for the girls add some depth, which does make it feel different, I just wish there was more for the score attack system. If you want to check this release out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
W.Kohaku Media 