Diagonal Matches In Match Three Games

I have played quite a few match three games, but none of them allows diagonal matching. While programming these into a real game would be a real challenge, gameplay wise it can open up for new possibilities.

The question is, why no game does this? Is it a good idea to include such mechanics in a game?

edited 1st Sep '15 7:49:10 AM by murazrai

I believe diagonal matches makes the game harder to balance for the deves, and it allows the player to have more accidental matches than deliberate ones. It's easier to control the difficulty without diagonals, particularly in free-to-play ones where they are counting on the frustration factor to get sales of micro transactions.

edited 1st Sep '15 9:26:17 PM by FlamingoKai

It'd cause too many accidental matches, making the game based more on luck than skill

There is a match 3 game that was built around the concept of Diagonals. It was called Klax. Very old

edited 2nd Sep '15 3:03:12 AM by stevebat

In games such as Candy Crush Saga, this makes sense since that it would break the game. In games that plays akin to Puzzle & Dragons, it could be a form of Hard Mode Perks that is meant as a way to make the game slightly easier.

Making diagonal matches arguably needs more skill because visually diagonal lines are more easily detected than straight lines, but cascades does turn things into a luck test.

I know that one. Thanks for pointing that out.

Speaking of these factors, why games in hexagonal grids rather uncommon and those games that utilize that are pure puzzles instead of being a form of hybrid? Is it for the same factors as well?

edited 2nd Sep '15 5:00:30 AM by murazrai

I'll randomly be pointing out Columns, the best Match Three ever.

Puzzle and Dragons allows diagonal movement of orbs but that's about it. Skyfalls are always a Luck-Based Mission regardless, but combos will probably not end especially in a tricolor board if there were diagonal matching.

I actually haven't seen any match threes that are hexagonal. I think diagonals and hexagonal matching is way harder to program in than row and column matching... (where if puzzle pieces are stored in 2d array, it's just same index in row, column)

edited 2nd Sep '15 5:06:22 AM by FlamingoKai

I briefly played Hanayamata Yosakoi Puzzle which features a hexagonal grid and the goal is to form lines of at least 3 length in order to reach stage goals such as scores, specific number of pieces matched and etc.

Million Chain and Spirit Stones also featured hexagonal grid and line forming matches, but I haven't played the former and the latter disallow cascades in the traditional sense, using special pieces which triggers cascades if got hit by their effects.

edited 2nd Sep '15 5:24:56 AM by murazrai

Puzzle Quest Galactrix was hex. The game was designed to make you be cautious about triggering cascades