Help guide your pet as it makes its way to the end of the pipe

Overcome various obstacles by matching specific number of colored keys

Play various challenging game modes or compete with others via Duel

Considering how many match-3 puzzle “clones” out there on the mobile platform, including some really bad ones, you might be understandably hesitant to download any new match-3 puzzle that you see. However, if you’re up for a unique challenge, you might want to give Fuzzy Critters a try!

Unlike any other casual match-3 puzzle games that you may have played before, Fuzzy Critter is a game that really puts the word “puzzle” back into the match-3 puzzle genre. Yes, well, as it’s still basically a match-3 game, which means that it still uses the match-3 game mechanics at its core. The reason driving those matches is slightly different here.

As opposed to directly fulfilling some random level objective, every match you make will make your pet (chosen out of the 4 default ones, namely, dog, cat, bunny and rat) take a step forward on a path-slash-pipe. Match-4s will make it take 2 steps while a match-5 will make it move 3 steps in addition to the extra dynamite which you can swap to activate. However, interestingly, matches that you get via the cascading effects or keys that you clear using the dynamite won’t count towards a move.

Like every good match-3 game, Fuzzy Critters hurls a variety of obstacles your way as well. One of the most common ones is the padlocks. To open each lock, you need to collect 3 sets of a specific number of a certain colored key. Of course, soon after, you’ll find that this is probably the easiest obstacle of them all – just wait until you encounter unstable wormholes that will reset your pet’s progress along the pipeline.

Aside from obstacles, there are various level modes too. The Challenge mode, for instance, takes “limited number of moves” to a whole new level, while the bonus coin round lets you collect as many coins as you can within 60 seconds. The most interesting one is definitely the boss level. Instead of battling a boss, you will be helping your pet outrun the boss. However, unlike the game doesn’t use a turn-based system here so essentially, this means that if you’re stuck in front of a lock, there’s actually a very huge possibility that the boss will catch up to you.

Building barriers in hopes of hindering the boss by a bit is the most challenging part of the level though. Similar to padlocks, you’ll need to make the correct matches to construct the barrier, but unlike locks, you actually have to make those matches in order (from left to right) and consecutively. This little challenge requires a whole lot of planning ahead on your part and well… barriers aren’t an optional part of the game, unlike treasure chests which are later introduced in the game. It can get rather frustrating at times, but this does make every victory even sweeter!

Fuzzy Critter also provides you with a multiplayer Duel mode where you can battle your friends via Friendly Matches or battle random players online via Fuzzy Matches. However, due to the game’s lower player population, it might be hard for you to find an opponent to play with. As such, it might be a better idea to grab a friend or two to play the game with you.

Of course, as the game’s quite challenging to play, Fuzzy Critters does provide you with a host of power-ups to use. Each power-up has its own “power”, but generally, you can expect stuff like the Coconut that will break the key you drop it on or the Bamboo Cane which will let you clear an entire row or column of your choice.

As a freemium game, Fuzzy Critters sells premium currency in exchange for real cash. You can then use the premium cash to buy more game coins, unlock new pets to play as, or even purchase power-ups. Everything’s pretty fair in this game with the sole exception of the Trick boost which you can buy to gain a certain advantage over your opponent in Duel mode.

Although the art style used to design the pets isn’t exactly a favorite of mine, the graphics are quite suitable to the overall theme and atmosphere of the game. I really like the music variety however. I often find games to have only a single background track that gets rather boring and perhaps annoying after a while. It’s nice to change things up from time to time.

All in all, Fuzzy Critters is a very interesting and unique match-3 puzzle game. I wouldn’t say the game’s a casual game due to the challenge it can offer, but I’m pretty certain that if you enjoy match-3 puzzle games that are different and tougher to play, then you’ll love Fuzzy Critters. Give the game a try! It’s free to download on Google Play and the AppStore.