Published by 37Games, Puzzles & Survival is a match-3 puzzle and strategy game with a splash of zombie apocalypse. The game incorporates a combination of match-3 gameplay with strategic elements.

The game is now a top grossing title on several mobile game charts, ranking as high as top 21 in the North America Market’s free game chart. Released in August in 2020, the game started to gain traction at the end of year, and has now accumulated over 10 million downloads across all platforms, according to a statement from 37Games.

Puzzles & Survival tweaked traditional match-3 gameplay and reinvented itself among other strategy titles. In the game, players take on the role of a commander of a group of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world where players must try to govern a sanctuary against hordes of zombies. Players must collect resources to develop their sanctuary and recruit wandering heroes to help the community survive. Match-3 gameplay is used as the game’s main combat mechanic. Players solve match-3 puzzles to perform different attack combos against waves of enemies and have to make use of each heroes’ unique skill set to create specific battle strategies. Puzzles & Survival’s match-3 combat mechanics and base management system allow for exciting gameplay that users will definitely enjoy.

37Games’ Puzzles & Survival is a novel attempt at innovating match-3 game titles that have flooded the mobile gaming market. Having the game set in a zombie-infested wasteland is quite the opposite of the casual vibe that most match-3 games seek to emulate. But it’s worth noting that the post-apocalyptic theme of zombies has always been a popular trope in entertainment media and will be well-received and recognized by players.

Puzzles & Survival is an example that shows that there are many possibilities in combining different types of gameplay to reinvent classic gaming genres. Puzzles & Survival and 37Games will continue to do well in the market in the foreseeable future because of its fresh and engaging approach to mobile gaming.