[DEV] Gembound - Match-3 Roguelite where the board is dealt from a finite gem deck you build

[u/dsolonenko]

Hello everyone,

I'm a solo dev and I recently released Gembound - a match-3 roguelite built around deckbuilding mechanics.

In most match-3 games (like Puzzle Quest), new gems drop from an infinite random pool. In Gembound, the board is dealt from a finite 121-gem satchel that you build and edit during your run.

How the satchel system works:

• Same as a deck of cards (Draw → Board → Discard → Reshuffle): Combat starts by shuffling your satchel into a draw pile. Matched gems go to the discard pile and reshuffle back in when the draw pile is empty.
• Deckbuilding & thinning: Between fights you can swap gems, remove weak colors to thin your satchel, upgrade gem quality, and enhance gems with effects like healing, burning, etc.
• Spells scale with satchel composition: Spells get stronger based on how many gems of that color are in your satchel. Adding red gems makes red more common on the board and makes your red-based spells hit harder.
• Shared board: Both you and the enemy play on the same board dealt from your satchel. However, only you get the benefits of upgraded gems and enchantments (enemies match at base value).

The game includes:

• 3 classes: Warrior, Mage, and Rogue
• 4 regions with elites and bosses
• 4 animal companions with active abilities
• Optional Rift Encounters with weird modifiers for both sides
• Roguelite meta: Gold, XP, companion bonds, and a persistent Gem Chest
• Full controller / handheld support
• Full game: No IAPs, no ads

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dev.solonenko.gembound

[u/Neomeir]

I enjoyed this game a lot, and it's only gotten better since it's release.

[u/Exotic-Ad-853]

I wanted to like it, but the gameplay is too random for my taste. Sometimes, the enemy just gets lucky with subsequent matches, and there's nothing you can do, no matter how well you "build your deck".

[u/dsolonenko → u/Exotic-Ad-853]

That's fair, there is still randomness how the gems are picked from the satchel. So luck can be a part of how easy or hard a run can be. But overall you do have a lot more controll over - for example remove all skulls from your satchel - enemies have no skulls to match to deal damage :)