Season Match 2

Developer: URSE Games | Publisher: ESDigital Games | Release Date: 2008 | Genre: Casual / Match 3 / Puzzle / Hidden Object | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

After saving the Fairytale Kingdom from the Snow Queen in the first Season Match, players now have to team up with her and the Princesses of the Seasons to stop an even greater threat. This time, the villain is Prince January, who has plunged the kingdom into eternal winter and trapped the castles of the seasonal princesses in ice. As before, the only way to restore balance is through a whole lot of gem-matching, but this time there’s a host of mini-games thrown into the mix too.

Season Match 2 is still a casual puzzle game at heart, but it feels a lot busier than its predecessor. Instead of simply moving from one match-three board to the next, the game alternates regularly between puzzle stages and other activities. The game features 35 battle levels and seven mini-games, divided into 35 levels. This sounds like a lot of variety on paper, but in practice, though, the results are a bit more uneven.

The core gameplay once again revolves around clearing groups of three or more matching gems from the board. Unlike traditional Bejeweled-style match-three games, players are not swapping adjacent tiles. Instead, they click on existing clusters of matching gems to remove them. This makes Season Match 2 a lot more mindless than many other match-three titles, as there is often very little planning involved beyond quickly spotting the next group. It is easy to pick up and play, but also easy to zone out while doing so.

The biggest change compared to the first game is the addition of artifacts. Each level involves finding a magical artifact guarded by one of Prince January’s minions. These artifacts can be charged and then used during puzzle stages to provide helpful effects. It is a neat addition and gives players something extra to work toward, but it doesn’t drastically change the way the game is played. Most of the time, success still comes down to clicking groups of gems as quickly as possible until the objective is complete. Players also gain access to “spells” that require mana to use, but these are just as useful as the artifacts when it comes to clearing gems. 

Players can choose to play with or without a timer, which drastically changes the feel of the game. Without the timer, Season Match 2 becomes a very relaxed experience, but it also becomes almost too easy. There is very little pressure, and most stages can be cleared without much thought. With the timer enabled, the game becomes more frantic, but not necessarily more strategic. Some stages turn into a click-fest where speed matters more than planning. It is nice that both options are available, but neither feels entirely satisfying for players looking for a deeper puzzle challenge.

Every second level being a mini-game also breaks up the match-three gameplay, but not always in a good way. Some of these are hidden-object scenes where all the required items are more or less in plain sight. These offer virtually no challenge and feel more like filler than meaningful diversions. Others require quick reflexes, which might appeal to some players but can feel out of place in a casual puzzle game. Puzzle fans looking for something calm and thoughtful may not appreciate suddenly being asked to react quickly instead of thinking things through.

The hidden-object portions are especially underwhelming. Instead of carefully searching cluttered scenes for cleverly concealed items, players are usually just clicking objects that are immediately visible. This makes them useful as a change of pace, but they don’t have the satisfaction of proper hidden-object gameplay. The reflex-based mini-games fare a little better simply because they require more attention, but they also feel like they belong in a different game.

Visually, Season Match 2 still has the bright fairy-tale presentation of the original. The artwork is colorful, but the game only features a handful of backgrounds. The game is clearly from an older era of casual PC titles, so players expecting modern polish might find it a little dated. The interface is functional, the gems are easy to distinguish, and the story scenes do enough to maintain the fairy-tale atmosphere, even if none of it is particularly impressive by modern standards.

The soundtrack is pleasant and fits the magical tone of the game well enough. It is not the type of music that will stick with players afterward, but it does its job during play. Sound effects are simple and provide the usual feedback when gems are cleared or objectives are completed. Since the game can become repetitive during longer sessions, the audio is best described as inoffensive rather than memorable.

Controls are handled entirely with the mouse and work as expected. Clicking gem clusters, selecting items during hidden-object scenes, and interacting with mini-games is straightforward. There is very little complexity here, which suits the casual nature of the game.

Overall, Season Match 2 is a bigger but not necessarily better sequel. It adds more variety, artifacts, hidden-object scenes, and mini-games, but the core gameplay remains relatively shallow. Playing without a timer makes the experience relaxing but almost too easy, while enabling the timer can turn stages into frantic clicking rather than thoughtful puzzle solving. Still, the game has plenty of content, a charming fairy-tale theme, and enough casual appeal to keep players entertained in short bursts.