| Platform | Nintendo Switch |
| Release Date | 2/24/2022 |
| Cost | $9.99 |
| Publisher | Ocean Media |
| ESRB Rating | E |
Get ready for the one of the world’s longest match 3 game that isn’t an endless live service like Candy Crush Saga. You think I am joking, I am not. SpelunKing is huge for a game of this type. At the bare minimum, we are talking 25-30 hours, if not longer. How? Read on.
SpelunKing is a mining game paired with match three. You see, think of the screen in 4 quadrants. Make a match towards the bottom area, you move down, left move left and down/left to move down left. And you’ll be moving a lot, as these mines are gigantic. This makes the most important piece you can match the shovel, which fills your dig meter. Once filled, if you go to mini map, click a place on the map, you will jump to that point, even if haven’t dug there yet. This is important, your lantern is constantly draining on normal mode. You can extend the lantern by doing the piece sequence at the top of the screen, but it only fills a sliver to start.
The other pieces are as follows: Emblems give hints for the talisman puzzles, which are required to complete the level. Wood and stone are required to upgrade buildings in the town. Bottles fill your power up meters.
But wait there’s more to SpelunKing. In the mine you will find treasure chests that gives gems that are sold for gold. Resource veins that give resources. Obstacles, that need items found nearby to proceed. There dirt, crates and tiles which hide gems and items. There are ice blocks and chain blocks, which take multiple matches to get rid of.
But wait there’s the town, where you upgrade everything, from you lantern to power-ups to the blocks themselves. You can also buy treasure keys and extra gem inventory. You can go back to town at any time, but you can only sell gems once you complete a level.
SpelunKing claims 25 areas, with ninety talisman puzzles. And like I said, you could be spending over on a hour in each area, adding up fast. Therefore, you cannot go wrong if you’re a match 3 fan, especially for ten dollars.
Overall: Spelunking is a match 3 fan’s dream game.
Verdict: Must Play
