The appeal of match-three puzzles with some turn-based RPG gameplay | Review - Bright Reappear

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Bright Reappear is a match three puzzle game blended with turn-based combat and RPG mechanics

🟩Pros

+Unique concept of blending match three and turn-based RPG

+Nostalgic visuals and sound design

+Light RPG mechanics

🟥Cons

-Minor UI gripes

-New player experience could benefit from further refinement

Bright Reappear is what happens when a Candy Crush match three-like puzzle system is combined with retro style turn-based RPG gameplay. Both genres are super popular on their own, but have never really combined with one another that much except for a handful of games. Bright Reappear is another one of those games, with some unique twists of its own.

The story unfolds with the introduction of Oslo, a continent inhabited by humans. After enjoying centuries of peace, darkness suddenly engulfs the land, threatening its very existence. As our hero, hailing from the southern region, it is our responsibility to vanquish these monsters and restore light to the entire continent.

Bright Reappear boasts six hero characters (judging from the promotional images), each possessing their own distinct talents and skills. With 12 chapters divided into levels and featuring up to 50 different enemies and bosses, the game promises a substantial puzzle-solving RPG adventure. Although the demo version I played only includes four chapters and a single hero for now, the overall tone of the game feels great already.

The graphics of Bright Reappear resemble 80s and 90s era PC graphics with its retro art style and a familiar adventurous tone, reminiscent of the classic adventure games of years gone by. The sound design carries the same tone, featuring low-fi atmospheric adventurous tracks that help set the mood.

In terms of gameplay, Bright Reappear revolves around guiding your hero through side-scrolling levels and engaging in one-on-one battles with various monsters. The combat mechanics adopt a traditional turn-based approach, but instead of selecting actions directly, players must solve match-three puzzles to perform different actions with varying intensities. Each level culminates in a challenging encounter with a formidable enemy.

The core gameplay involves matching three main icons: sword, book, and health, as well as a gold icon. Matching these icons during battles triggers corresponding actions such as attacking, healing, earning gold coins, defending, or gaining additional moves. Combos naturally occur, both intentionally and accidentally, leading to impressive combo attacks and powerful moves by the player character.

Bright Reappear introduces some intriguing twists to the match-three formula. Players can move up to two pieces at once, provided they are in the same direction, adding a faster paced action compared to other match-three games. Additionally, players can strategically move pieces even when there are no matches available, setting up grander combinations.  There aren’t any certain limits to the number of moves, the players are only limited by how long their characters can withstand enemies’ attacks.

The puzzles in Bright Reappear incorporate various obstacles, such as spreading vines that impede movement and must be matched to be eliminated, as well as weakness stats on icons that impose negative effects unless resolved with a match. These obstacles add an additional layer of challenge on top of the turn-based combat.

Not only are there obstacles, but powered-up icons also make an appearance.  In traditional match three styles, you can activate these power-ups by matching these icons and come in various forms, including Exploding all icons of the same type, exploding with a blast radius, diagonally, horizontally, and many more.

Bright Reappear features light RPG mechanics, allowing players to acquire different weapons, armor, and accessories throughout the levels. Gems can be found as well, serving as enhancements for items. Additionally, there's an enticing gambling game mode where players can test their luck and potentially earn more gold coins.

One minor gripe I have concerns the UI, particularly how the icons darken during a move. Although this is intended to help players focus on the action above — which, trust me, can be forgotten entirely as you tend to concentrate solely on the puzzles — it constantly takes me out of my strategic element, and causes a sense of disorientation. I would have preferred an option to disable the darkening effect.

Furthermore, there is an Auto-Pick option in the settings, but I’m not quite sure what it does when I tested it. As for the tutorial, while it provides a basic introduction, it could benefit from further refinement to explain the game's mechanics more comprehensively, especially for new players.

Conclusion:

Bright Reappear combines the addictive appeal of match-three puzzles with retro turn-based RPG gameplay, resulting in a unique and enticing strategic experience on two fronts: as a puzzle game and as a turn-based combat game.