Ever since Suika Game arrived on the Switch, the simplicity of its gameplay and budget price have invited a host of imitators. In some cases new features or variations on its play have been introduced, but in many cases the differences have been almost entirely aesthetic. That, for the most part, feels like all that has really happened with Land of Mushrooms, which has replaced the original game’s fruit that would combine with mushrooms and a different overall look but not much else.

One thing that does change a bit by moving from the mostly round pieces of fruit to the various more complicated shapes of mushrooms, is that your play area tends to get clogged up more easily. To some extent I could have had some respect for that choice, as it does make for a little more strategy, though your lack of control over the angle your mushrooms fall at kind of defeats that thought. The big problem I had with the game though is the sheer scale of far too many of the varieties of mushrooms you’ll use. 

Some of them are simply too large and consume too much space, and when you’re combining the lesser ones to have them pop into a much larger one, it’s very disruptive. My guess is that’s the point, and yes, you having a little less overall control over the field, and having it change on you can add to the challenge. If nothing else, you could make a case that when they combine again and the new result is a smaller variety that the amount everything shrinks can be a relief. That may be true, but it just feels like it takes no time to clog everything up, and all of the shifting makes it very challenging to try to set up chain reaction combos that are really central to the game’s strategy. If you’re a big shroom fan, or just like the concept of more unpredictability being thrown into this puzzle formula, give it a shot, but otherwise its peers generally feel better implemented.