Color Pieceout ~ RIEview

Color Pieceout, by AXEL GAME Entertainment Inc., is one of the several games that I've downloaded during the lockdown. I was attracted by the colourful art style seen in the screenshots off the Play Store, so I gave in and downloaded it. Firstly, it's a match-3 puzzle game, but with a mystery and adventure plot. I would compare it to the likes of Matchington Mansion and other match-3 puzzle games, except that Color Pieceout stands out because of its unique (and fresh!) plot that has nothing to do with renovation. Read on for the full review!

Game Plot

The plot revolves around Lily, who embarked into New York in search of her missing father. On her way to get help from Poirrot Detective Agency, she gets herself entangled with a case. Little did she knew that that would be the first of many, as she becomes an intern herself at Poirrot Detective Agency. So from the get-go, I already love the incorporation of case-solving in a match-3 puzzle that usually (for some reason) involves a plot about renovating something, like a mansion in Matchington Mansion or a garden in Gardenscape. 

Like all detective stories such as Sherlock Holmes and Detective Conan, the main characters will be busy solving cases that may or may not be related to the main focus of the story. At this point of time, there are only 6 cases out in the English version. According to the album (which for spoiler reasons I did not include in this post), there are at least 4 cases in the Japanese version that is hopefully in the translation phase. 

Verdict (4.5/5) 

Despite not having all cases out yet, the ones that are available so far are well-written. Some cases are a bit more obvious on who the culprit is, or how the culprit manage to cause the crime. Other times it takes a bit more time for the storyline to unfold before one (especially for me!) to realise just how they did it. Overall, the storyline is interesting and fun, making one looking forward to the next case right after finishing one.

Character Diversity & Personality 

Aside from Lily, there are a few other characters that frequently appear throughout the game. Obviously, with Lily working in Poirrot Detective Agency, her fellow colleagues make those frequent appearances in different cases. And then there are characters that were involved in specific cases, which may or may not have a special appearance in later cases. Unfortunately, to avoid giving the surprise away I did not include a screenshot of characters, which you can find on the tab to the left of 'Case Files' in the previous screenshot. 

I'm not sure if it's related to age, but Lily is a refreshing take on a protagonist in a mystery detective story. Though young, she has the potential to be a great detective – yet she is not boastful of her skills, which led to her employment with Poirrot Detective Agency and currently mentored by Carlos. Carlos is a senior detective, who is impressed with Lily's skills but also have a fair share of exasperation (and a LOT of concern, with Case File 1 an example) whenever Lily acts on her curiosity. With a cast of colourful personalities, the storyline is made even more interesting.

Verdict (4.5/5) 

Each character have distinct personalities and past that shapes them the way they are, both when you are first introduced to them but also when more details are revealed with each case. I personally love Lily's personality here, and her interactions with others make her one of my top favourite protagonists so far. (I should one day do a top-10 list of favourite game protagonists...)

Game & CG Art 

The art lives up to the game title; it's bright and colourful, which reflects the view we see through Lily's eyes starting from when she enters a whole new environment. The colour choice used here is comparable to that in A3!, exuding youthful vibes throughout both the match-3 puzzle as well as the background for the story. Again, due to avoiding spoilers, I did not include screenshots of the CG art that you will get when you hit a certain milestone for each case file. 

Game Mainscreen

Verdict (5/5) 

I had to give full marks for the art. Yes, it's anime-inspired art that is almost like Doraemon. No, I'm not looking at a particular character when I say this. Overall, you can definitely expect to enjoy the colourful art (and sometimes comical character expressions!) in this game.

Game Mechanics 

The main feature of Colour Pieceout is the Match-3 puzzles. You need hearts to play a stage, and will only lose a heart if you fail to clear a stage. Coins are used to purchase extra moves in the stage, which I would recommend only using when you are 100% sure you can complete the game with those extra moves. This is because the cost will increase every time you finish the extra moves but still fail to clear the stage. Lightbulbs (and coins) are rewards that you will collect upon completion of a stage. They are used to read story nodes for each case files. The cost of lightbulbs per node increases with case files, but that shouldn't be a problem as long as you keep clearing the match-3 puzzles.

For players who are already familiar with the concept of match-3 puzzles, this game is no different except for the special power-ups. By special power-ups, I don't mean the items that you buy and use before the game starts; but power-ups that are formed after you match a certain number of tiles in a certain shape together. 

Aside from power-ups, there are character skills that you can make use. Each level will be assigned a particular character which you can use their skill. Character skills are ready to use once you completely fill the gauge by using the power-ups. In the screenshot below, you can see the gauge above Lily's avatar; once you fill the gauge completely, her skill will automatically drop a rainbow-coloured star onto the board.

Verdict (4/5) 

I record of only 3 levels (100+, 200+, and a 300+) where it took me more than 2 days before I managed to clear the level. Other than that it is easy to learn how to play match-3 puzzles if you haven't before. On the topic of reading story nodes, some nodes cost more lightbulbs that is equivalent to playing 2 to 3 stages. While the harder stages will drop double lightbulbs, it may be tedious playing to get the number of lightbulbs you need each time you finish a story node. What I do is I will collect a big sum of lightbulbs, and then binge read the story nodes at one go. 

In-Game Events 

There are only 2 events that are available: Pancake event and Safe event. Every day when you log in you get to spin a daily roulette, with prizes including boosters, coins and hearts. When you first start the game, the Pancake event is the first event to appear. Within a limited time frame, pile up pancakes by clearing the puzzle stages, with rewards to be obtained when you reach a certain milestone on the reward list. 

On the other hand, the safe event is where the coins that you get from clearing puzzle stages. The saved up coins can be withdrawn from the safe after 7 days have passed. If you're wondering and you're concerned about not having coins during the safe event, don't be! That's because the amount that you get from clearing a stage, say 50 coins, you will get 50 coins immediately and on top of that 50 coins added into the safe. How about that?! 

Verdict (4/5) 

I like the events, because the rewards are handy in clearing the puzzle stages to continue reading the story. However, it becomes unnecessary once you've run out of case files. Although I did noticed that the events appeared towards the beginning of the game (i.e. the Pancake event), and only 2 throughout the rest of the case files (i.e. the Safe event). There is not as much events as you can get from Matchington Mansion etc., which are updated with new content almost on a weekly basis. 

As I've mentioned earlier, it's been several months and there have been no updates for the game. I really love and adore this game, so it's a shame that there is no new content, or rather no updates on translation of released case files. I would still recommend this game to those who love a good mystery adventure game with a match-3 puzzle concept. Even though the level(s) can be challenging sometimes, the plot makes it worth every challenge. 

~ RieRie