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If you like Candy Crush Saga, you’ll love these games

Maria Baeta

Maria Baeta

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The concept of Candy Crush Saga makes it an addictive game, but it’s really easy to get bored with how it looks, the limitation on lives, and all of those annoying Facebook notifications. This made me wonder: are there any games similar to Candy Crush Saga that could eliminate some of these issues? It turns out, there are quite a few.

Bejeweled…where it all started

Candy Crush Saga’s mechanics are pretty much a carbon copy of Bejeweled (PopCap Games, 2001), a game that began in flash format and has, over the years, ended up with versions and sequels for all platforms.

If you like Candy Crush Saga, you’ll love these games

If you want to play on your computer, we recommend the most recent installment, Bejeweled 3 for Windows or <Mac, as well as well as the original, theBlitz and the Twist versions. The gameplay is the same in all; the only things that differs are the game modes and the technical specs.

If you’d prefer to play on your mobile, there are versions for almost every device, from the original Bejeweled for Blackberry, to Bejeweled 3 for Symbian, as well as Blitz versions for iPhone and Android, or LIVE for your Windows Phone.

If you don’t want to download anything, stick with <Bejeweled 2 or Blitz for your browser, which is also available on Facebook.

The daddy of Candy Crush Saga has dozens of versions and spin-offs

The charm of “kawaii”

If there’s anyone who knows how to make pretty and colorful games, it’s the Japanese. LINE Pop (Android/iOS), for example, is a Bejeweled clone from Naver, the company responsible for the messaging service LINE.

LINE Pop (available on Android and iPhone) has the gameplay we’re familiar with, but it’s crammed full of charismatic characters we know from the LINE stickers; instead of candy or jewels, you have to line up Brown, Cony, Moon and Sally to make them disappear.

The downside of LINE Pop is that you have to install LINE to play, as well as staying connected to the internet. And yes, the “lives” system is alive and kicking.

LINE Pop…even more adorable than Candy Crush Saga?

Puzzles and more

Some games use puzzles to give you an excuse to play more. This is the case with the Puzzle Quest series, where you collect pieces to defeat enemies.

Puzzle Quest, a mix of a puzzle and an RPG, has had two installments in the main series (download the first for Windows), as well as a spin-off with a galactic theme (also available on Windows).

Puzzle Quest has become another classic

Another very similar game that’s just made it across the pond is called Puzzle & Dragons (Android/iOS), a game whose potential success we’ve already speculated about.

Same, but different

There are also games out there which aren’t complete clones of Candy Crush Saga, meaning there’s more to the game than just joining three or more pieces of the same color to clear the board. These games have features in common that will keep you equally as occupied!

One type of similar game requires you to remove areas of the same color as quickly as possible. Although it’s not the first of its kind, the current favorite is Diamond Dash (you can play it on Facebook, iPhone and Android).

Diamond Dash: a game about pandas and gems!

There are also games where you match pieces of the same color that are adjacent to each other. The most famous of these games is Dots: A Game About Connecting (download it for iPhoneand Android), which bases its success on a more minimalist aesthetic – in fact, it really couldn’t be further from Candy Crush Saga’s sugary overdose.

A similar game based on joining adjacent pieces is Link That Gugl (available on iPhone), which is much more colorful and has many more modes than Dots.

Link That Gugl: Dots’ party animal brother

A game genre that never gets old

It’s pretty obvious that Candy Crush Saga isn’t a ground breaking game; it’s simply been able to successfully combine classic gameplay with social elements and cross-play, a match made in candy-colored heaven.

A large part of its success has been a combination of hitting the market at the right time, along with some smart advertising – it looks like it’s offering something new (even though we’ve actually seen it before).

Do you know any more games like Candy Crush Saga?

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Maria Baeta

Maria Baeta

My first computer was an Amstrad CPC 6128 and so began my love for gadgets. Besides tech and games I love music (I'm a singer in two bands of swing, jazz and blues), cinema (watching and writing about it), gastronomy (cooking... but above all eating!) and alternative fashion. Do you follow the cult of The Rocky Horror Picture Show? Great, I'm sure we can get along.

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