Tumblestone became free on Xbox One recently by pushing it out to Xbox One gamers as a free alternative to games like Sparkle Unleashed. Match-three games have become quite popular in recent years, with Candy Crush obviously dominating the genre. Tumblestone follows the Queen of the Nile, while she investigates and breaks down all the Tumblestones around her queendom. Usually such titles offer no story so it was a pleasant surprise when I came across one. Unlike other matching games, Tumblestone plays more like reverse-Tetris.
The game is quite easy at first but does become somewhat of a challenge as you go through the title towards the end. There are harder challenges in the way of traditional boss fights at some intervals. These intervals allow you to progress the journey of the queen. The game is quite basic in what it requires from the player, with simple controls and an experience that can be enjoyed by every gamer. Don’t let the simplicity fool you though, each level has a particular way to solve it so you’ll have to keep on restarting until you get it right. While this can be frustrating, this is the element that requires a lot of brain power to crack.
The graphics are hand-drawn and gorgeous, with great detail and charm. The visual style, while again basic, suits the title because it allows you to focus on the game. All the blocks are clear and there’s no confusion when it comes to any aspect regarding the visuals. It’s all designed to facilitate gameplay.
Despite the fact that the game is free for Xbox One owners through the Games with Gold program, I wouldn’t mind shelling out $5 for the title. However, I feel that these games are slightly out of place on the console, since these are usually relegated to time-killers on the train. When you have games like Tumblestone on Xbox One, they should always feature snap mode. This satisfies the gamer’s ability to play it between matches of let’s say Halo 5 while waiting for the timers to end between loading various sessions. Threes and Ninjitsu do it well and I would’ve liked to see at least the single-player component of the game support the function. Maybe the developers can add this in later? I sure hope so.
Consoles are usually reserved for experiences that push the boundaries of what the player needs to achieve. Utilizing unique Xbox One features like the fantastic snap mode would satisfy gamers who want to play this as a mobile title. The Xbox One is capable of doing that so developers should take that into account when designing their games. If you’re going to put a mobile-like game on Xbox One, be sure to incorporate snap mode like other developers.
Summary
Tumblestone is a fun match-three title on Xbox One and holds up quite well against its competition. However, it feels quite odd playing these types of games on your console, and I feel it might even feel more out of place when the Xbox Scorpio drops which is geared towards a completely hardcore experience. If you’re not a massive gamer and just want to play a simple time-killer, I would suggest you download this game. Even outside of the free offer available right now, it’s well worth the price of admission but mobile-like experiences really do need to support snap mode because that’s how gamers want to experience them on Xbox One.
Asher and Dreyer is a shared byline ICXM used for 2 articles co-authored in 2016 covering game reviews. See the individual contributor profiles for the writers behind these collaborations.