The Gray Gamers

Oh oh. I’m hooked.

Match 3 games provide hours of relaxation for me, and Reflexive Arcade have built one I really really like, and it’s a price I can afford. Did I say I really really like  Monarch The Butterfly King?  
It’s been awhile coming, and it’s been worth the wait.
I had trouble choosing a screenshot to feature this game. Seriously.
You have to see it to appreciate it.
I don’t do cute. This isn’t cute.
It’s 2D beautiful.
Click on that graphic right below me gushing here and go look for yourself.

Monarch The Butterfly King is built the same way as the wildly popular Big Kahuna Reef. Don’t get me wrong, I like fish, but I like butterflies better, and this game is a blast. This has a wee bit of a story line to remind you to get up and stretch. Good for Reflexive, that’s an improvement I can cheer.  While the sfx is the same as Reflexives Big Kahuna Reef,  this feels like a brand new game.

Graphics are pleasant, colourful and you can adjust brightness easily. The music is soothing, the explosions awesome. Along with bombs, there are potions every 10 levels to keep you hooked on clearing your board.
Match enough butterflies and boom!

If you’ve never played a Match 3 try this one.
They don’t get any better, I didn’t wait until my trial time was over to purchase this. The download is as smooth as silk, as with all Reflexive Arcade games I’ve played or tried, I’ve never had a  download glitch. They are really good at delivery.

You can add another mouse and play with your sister (yeah, Jan found this game of course and is waaay ahead of me) I liked Big Kahuna Reef, but Monarch The Butterfly King is a step up into a delightful flight of fantasy.

Players from around the world can create levels, so I’m never going to finish this game, given there are 150 levels so far, 25 butterflies to win, but hey, I’m certainly going to be spending many pleasant hours trying.

Monarch The Butterfly King is trying to free his friends from the clutches of a wizard turning their world into amber. You can play in relaxed or timed mode, offline and full screen.

Top notch bang for your buck. It’s 6.99 US.

Tips and Tricks:
1) Match five butterflies and you get a more powerful potion. If you get two potions side by side, hit them, you get more points and a better explosion.
2) Got a bomb? Keep clearing butterflies so you can position it to where it will do the most good.
3) Click your potion or bomb in the direction you want to clear the amber. Earning potions also help power up your flower popper faster.
4) Frogs: Don’t fall into the temptation of clearing the frogs, you lose time and power (frogs are not our friends in this game) Instead use your flower popper to clear below so frogs fall into a match 3 by themselves.
5) Keep the Monarch Kings orb up (and your score) by clearing at least one match 3 in every ten seconds. You snooze, you lose. Don’t worry, pause a level or leave the game, you come right back to where you left off.

Any match 3 fans got a tip? Bring it on!

Reflexive Entertainment
PC
OS: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Me, Windows Vista
CPU: P733
Memory: 256 MB
DirectX 7.0 or later