One of the pretty casual games that took me by surprise last year was the simple-yet-complex puzzler Suika Game. In principle it’s all quite basic, you’ll drop different fruits into a pit and then try to combine ones that match to form the next (and often bigger) fruit that evolves from those two and so on. When implemented well it can make for an experience that’s both casual and somewhat tense as everything starts to pile up, but there’s no thrill quite like watching a massive chain reaction take place and have half of your board suddenly clear up.

Given both the simplicity and the success of this budget puzzler, it’s no surprise at all that loads of variations and outright imitations would hit the eShop, and there have been plenty. While most have pretty well been a waste of time, either failing to differentiate themselves at all, or feeling less polished, there have been a few that have added just the right feature or two to the mix to justify their existence. In the case of Candivity, I’d say it falls somewhere in the middle of those two outcomes.

In terms of truly new features, it has some tricks up its sleeve but I’m not sure they’re revolutionary either. You’ll periodically get one of a few power-ups that will work to your advantage strategically in some cases. 

While the bomb has been done before (and I’d argue better by Bomb Cat), it’s the Astral power-up that I liked the most, essentially allowing you to sneak a piece through the pile to the base, which can absolutely be a lifesaver when things get tight and you’re on the edge of a chain reaction sitting below everything. I additionally appreciate the different stage designs, though since with the base there are only two, and the others are all hawking DLC, that kind of ends up being a wash. Overall, it at least brings a small something new to the table, but I’m not sure that justifies checking it out either if you have some other version you enjoy already.