GAME
OF THE
DAY
Puzzle & Monarch
Spread the territory
Got a spare 90 seconds? As the clock ticks in each 90-second game in Puzzle & Monarch, you’ve got one task: expand your territory on a chess-like board by correctly connecting panels featuring paths, buildings, churches and forests. Sounds easy, sure. But you’ll soon discover that those 90 seconds are over in a snap.
Puzzle & Monarch carries an appealing aura of mystery; you won’t be certain where it’s headed, but you’ll want to keep trying to achieve an ever higher score each time you play.
Start a game, and your first panel awaits. It might have a path or some forest on it. But you can’t just place panels anywhere and emerge triumphant. Paths need to connect to one another, forests must line up with forests... there’s a subtle art to nailing it.
So how do you boost your score? Longer paths will bank you more points for your pot, as will larger areas of forest. Once you’ve got panels in the right place, they’ll change from 2D to 3D – it’s a satisfying moment to see your little kingdom gradually grow.
As you get into the flow, you’ll be keen to achieve aesthetically pleasing layouts; but sometimes your best laid plans are stifled by the randomly appearing panels – there’s more than 70, so good luck getting the one you want, when you want it.
If you want more than 90 seconds to get fully stuck in to creating your country, find some freedom in Free mode, available via an in-app purchase. There’s also a 3-min mode, which gives you slightly longer to formulate your grand designs.
Puzzling over Puzzle & Monarch has a pleasing rhythm to it that encourages you to challenge your on-the-spot thinking and strategy skills. And it’s always worth visualising the bigger picture – your very own kingdom.