Disney's Lost Light Takes Puzzles From Match-Three To Match-Anything

Lost Light ($1.99) by Disney is like a match-three puzzle game, but rather than restricting you to three, it's more of a “match as many of however many you like” situation. After finding this out through the initial tutorial, I wondered whether Disney would be successful in reinventing match-three, and after some time with Lost Light, it's true that this title feels fresh out of a fairy tale.

In each level, a Tetris-like board becomes the platform for blocks of various values to fall. The goal is to make new, larger blocks out of the numbers by sliding your finger across them and letting go when you're done to add them together. Then, in order to clear these larger shapes off of the board, you have to create multiple blocks of the same number side-by-side. Exactly how many is determined by the number on each block.

In simpler terms, you would have to join at least four fours, three threes, seven sevens, nine nines, etc. In some levels, completion is based on points earned, so you can decide the type of matches to make. With others, a number displayed at the top of the screen will dictate the types of matches you need to make in order to pass. Regardless of the type of level, each one feels new and exciting since, for example, a block with a value of six can be created out of a three, a two, and a one, or just by linking six ones. Essentially, how you create the block with your target value is up to you.

If you have a chance, be sure to watch Disney's promo video to see the game in action.

If you cannot see the video embedded above, head over here.

Each shape cleared off of the board releases light, and as long as a little light gets released now and then, the forest will never be dark.

Of course, you have to meet the requirement in each level — whether it's points or a certain type of matches — within a time limit provided. Also, you have to make sure that all of the blocks don't rise and touch the top, because if they do for more than a few seconds, you'll fail the level. There are four level packs available, providing a total of over 200 levels.

After a short amount of playing, I became hooked on Lost Light. The “match whatever you'd like” concept breaks the boundaries of typical match-three, which makes every level feel like a new experience. Cute fairy-tail graphics and sounds make it quite a charm to play, and the evolving challenges in each level prevent it from growing stale. Without a doubt, this story ends with “happily ever after.”

To get in on the action in Disney's Lost Light, you can find it for free in the App Store as a universal download.