The Matching Dead is a match-stuff RPG with a post-apocalyptic zombie theme. Your matches turn into weapons that you hurl at zombies, mutants and other horrors. It might not be the most original game in the world, but there’s still a lot to like here.
The game sees you creating a team of survivors to take down the zombie hordes. These survivors are represented by a color – match items of that color on the board and you’ll power up their special move.
Your matches fire out forwards when you’ve made them, hitting any enemies in their path. There’s a rock-paper-scissors style elemental system that means some colors are weaker or stronger against certain enemies.
You can only match in straight lines, horizontal or vertical, and making longer lines throws some special tiles into play. There’s nothing here that you won’t have seen before if you’ve played a match-stuff RPG, but it’s well put together and still manages to be entertaining.
Alongside the matching there’s some city-building. You need to collect and store resources, construct new buildings and train up other survivors to join the fight. The game also throws in some gacha mechanics to help you collect the more powerful heroes.
There’s a decent level of depth here – you can equip new weapons, burn unwanted characters to toughen up your heroes, and go into battle with special tools that can turn the tide of a scrap. There’s a slightly annoying energy system as well, that sometimes gets in the way, which is a bit of a shame.
The Matching Dead isn’t fresh, but it isn’t exactly musty either. This is an entertaining match-’em-up with enough going on behind the scenes to keep you interested. If you’re looking for a matching RPG with an undead theme, then this is probably your best option on mobile right now.
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