So very, very close to great

Its almost perfect. A match game with a surprisingly compelling story and collections that make you actually interested in seeing the next evolution of buildings.

The one downside is the classic energy-to-play system, or rather the combination of a lot of little things around that. It maybe wouldnt matter that you can barely get about 8 or 9 mini games in one session, if only you didnt have to repeat them so often.

The most annoying symptom is the painfully low success rate to find quest items. Ive got quests that have been pending for WEEKS because those items just never turn up. And Ive been emptying my energy bar out twice a day, so Im not slouching on my end.

That said, Im probably gonna keep coming back. Youve almost got a perfect game here. Almost.

Sonofosama about Cradle of Empires: Match Three, v2.9.5