Common Sense Media Review
By Chris Morris
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Fun match-3 game, but some adventure features fall flat.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
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Empires & Puzzles: RPG Quest
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Pass
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Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
What's It About?
EMPIRES & PUZZLES: RPG QUEST is a game with a medieval setting, where players initially face off against a powerful overlord and his minions. The storyline quickly goes by the wayside in favor of the combat, a clever use of the match-three game style. Here, you connect three (or more) identical icons, which are then used to attack enemies at the top of the screen. Depending on the enemy, certain icons are more powerful than others. In between rounds, you can build out your base camp, where you gather resources and train new heroes to expand your options when fighting. In-game heroes see their powers charge as you match three icons, which give you special attacks. Player vs. Player (PvP) combat is handled in a match-three style as well, with enemy troops automatically fighting back against your heroes. If all of your heroes are killed by enemies, you lose the round.
Is It Any Good?
There are really two games in one here in this puzzle/role-playing game (RPG) -- one that's great, one that's not. Empires and Puzzles: RPG Quest does a great job of adding an action element to the match-three gameplay style. It's fun, addicting, and (as you get deeper into the game) challenging enough to hold your attention. The effectiveness of matching certain icons varies per battle, with certain icons being more powerful than others against enemies. That's a really fun twist that makes you think carefully before you act. And PvP is different than any other game in this style. Special attacks from heroes add another layer to a familiar formula. If this was the entirety of the game, it'd be an absolute winner.
It's not, though. Empires and Puzzles: RPG Quest also has a base building and resource gathering game mode that feels out of place and clunky. It never feels essential to the game. And you'll find yourself itching to get back to the action. But the problem is that every round costs action points. And you only have so many (which recharge over time). So you're forced to play in short bursts or lay out cash. Plus, there's no single-price option to do away with that. These issues drag the game from great to good. But if you're willing to put up with time gates that aggressively push you to pay to play, or features that just don't seem necessary, Empires & Puzzles: RPG Quest will keep your match-3 attention for a while.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the impact of violence in Empires & Puzzles: RPG Quest affected by the lack of graphic visuals? Would the impact be intensified if the visuals were more realistic?
Do you feel the need to pay for more gameplay time when the energy for your characters runs out, or can you wait for it to refresh over time?
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android
- Pricing structure : Free
- Release date : October 26, 2018
- Genre : Role-Playing Games
- Topics : Adventures , Fantasy
- Publisher : Small Giant Games
- Version : 16.1.0
- Minimum software requirements : Requires iOS 8.0 or later; Requires Android 4.4 and up
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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