DragonScales 1-7 Bundle

note: at the time of writing only 4 of the 7 games are available on steam separately (with additional languages) for more than this bundle. (there was a -90% 'bundle' of this and another game during launch week, devaluing it even before throwing it in a bundle because it's hh-games.)
dragonscales is a long-running and mostly excellent fantasy match-3 series with battles on hex-based levels. gotta be extra succinct to fit 7 games with technical issues into one review. pet peeves in the whole series: big numbers shown as 146745846 instead of 146,745,846 and typewriter effect for dialog.
chambers of the dragon whisperer (2014)
56 levels in 8 packs unlocked one by one. no story, just release 8 dragons. place hexagons (dragonscales) on the board in batches of 3/4/5 to create matches. start on any valid tile, then only adjacent ones are available for that batch. remove them in reverse placement order, turns end and matches are removed after all are placed. combos make the dragon destroy random hexes, counts towards the goal.
consumable power-ups awarded occasionally and can be bought and equipped anytime. more slots can be unlocked with gold. once you equip something, can't change it and only equipped items can be topped up after that until the end of the level, so fill every slot just in case.
not too complex or long (~4h), mostly easy but really fun, good enough for starters. no difficulty settings or move limit, some timed levels. I used a few freebie power-ups around the middle, otherwise they weren't needed.
non-resizable windowed mode and separate volume sliders only in the main menu. can't switch to another window in full screen, only the taskbar is visible, alt+enter doesn't toggle windowed mode.
beneath a bloodstained moon (2015)
similar gameplay, same settings, still good stuff. more talking (turns out we were helping the baddie before), 155 levels in 10 chapters in adventure mode, optional 3-level tutorial. skippable mini-games with annoying music, bags of gold to match and fast completion for more cash, but no on-screen clock or time/move limit.
no more dragon madness for combos but power-ups start to unlock in chapter 3. no slots, just click to buy and use them. new mechanics are bombs and arrows moving parts of the level to reach inaccesible areas. mostly easy boss fights in every chapter. no player hp, just destroy the opponent while it's placing self-healing potions and manipulating the board. enemy turns are really slow.
practice mode has endless random boards and no bosses, the colosseum has harder versions of foes unlocked in adventure mode and the real ending. both modes use money and power-ups from the adventure.
the fix for broken levels reduced resolution (1680x1050, non-widescreen, stretched in full screen), quick change even if started in a window, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ up other windows. the window can get stuck in the top left too, the developer won't fix it. alt+tab works.
eternal prophecy of darkness (2017)
had to be downgraded for the same reason, lower resolution, stretched in full screen. windowed mode and alt+tab work.
152 regular levels in 19 chapters in adventure mode, optional 3-level tutorial, 5 boss fights and optional replayable mini-games. standalone story, you're a mage from gravity kingdom, trying to stop baddies who killed your buddies.
new mechanics include falling scales, turning things into tetris. cascades work, really fun. some levels have to be cleared or covered with a limited set of tiles, very puzzly. power-ups start unlocking right away, still buy to use, can't be used on boss levels.
optional time to beat, timer can be hidden. it's not paused by bringing up a menu, alt+tab stops it. stars are optional collectibles, hidden ones are ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ annoying, have to match over every tile until they're found. badges are awarded for beating every par time, getting all the stars and completing certain levels without power-ups.
endless/random practice mode is back, plus endless/random gravity mode with tetris-like levels.
master chambers (2018)
same as ds1, no story, game modes or combat. mostly annoying new mechanics (hidden bombs and arrows, tiles moving in patterns), remove tiles to create combos is good, but it's a step back after ds3 in every way. stretched 1920x1080.
180 levels in 18 worlds, buggy and very slow level skip for the first time: the level after the skipped one doesn't unlock on level select, can only be replayed after skipping to it again from the previous level. times to beat with an optional timer, stars to collect, only 3 power-ups for gold, in-game achievements.
the frozen tomb (2018)
in ds4 zarya (daughter of ds2's derek) became strong enough to wake an ancient dragon to defeat the big bad in gravity kingdom, so fight your way to said dragon. familiar and new characters, the pinnacle of the series.
200 levels in 20 worlds in adventure mode, same functionality as ds4, plus optional touchscreen controls. new mechanics are inverted gravity, rotating and placing grouped tiles, swapping tiles (2 clicks, not dragging).
bosses in most worlds, the colosseum is back (bosses unlocked in adventure + real ending). you have hp, a bow and arrows. matches do damage, arrows on hexes before placing them do more. some need manual aiming, minions move around.
16 power-up cards to buy once unlocked. stars open 12 missions (mini-games, bonus levels), need all for the last one. some cards and gear are only found here and half the stars are hidden, not great.
love and redemption (2019)
another step back in some ways. lovey-dovey presentation, a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ cat, alt+tab doesn't work in full screen, just like ds1, but there are different window sizes.
130 levels in 13 worlds with 25 battles. no player hp, bosses can only be damaged with pre-placed arrows, some enemies heal. new mechanics: keys unlock doors to access blocked tiles, click clusters to make them disappear, gravity control. the pit opens after the story, endless enemy waves with a turn limit.
completion time doesn't matter, pars only unlock after the story (idiotic and no timer toggle), stars are visible but do nothing, possible gold reward after every level. an expanded and still annoying ds1 mini-game to win/lose money, only pops up randomly.
power-ups come and go as the story progresses. they need charging, charge speed can be upgraded with gold. the upgrade screen also only appears every few levels, wtf?
a heart of dark flames (2020)
new protagonist and storyline (not much), same alt+tab issue as ds1+6, further deterioration in presentation, mini-games from ds1 (why?).
only 105 levels in 10 packs, mostly combat, ds6-like with player hp and shielded enemies, harder at first than before. xp for battles, level-up bumps stats automatically, stars manually, your choice. the new mechanic is moving the player to a portal by matching arrows.
2 basic power-ups, charge to use. 14 consumable spells unlocked from question marks on levels, topped up in the store or by replaying levels. put them on scales before placement, matching activates. gold is also spent on butt-ugly village upgrades to up your turn count in combat.

I don't know whether to call this a match-3 or a puzzle game - it's a cool combination of both - I really enjoy the challenges - with 7 games in the same package it's an insane value for your money - I highly recommend to all those who like to challenge their brain - if you get stuck there are helpful tips and advice in the guides - I think you'll want to check them out :)

It's too bad all seven of these games aren't sold separately; if you have never played any of this series before, it can be a bit hard to understand all the mechanics used in the later games. The first game is relatively simple and short, but subsequent releases built on the starting game's concepts and introduced a lot more obstacles and quirks, never mind new achievements and powerups. You'll be playing for weeks if not months if you want to play all the content in every game.
There is a storyline which spans most of the series beginning with DS2; different characters have their own story within the bigger story in each game. This story ends with DS6 and a different tale is used for the final game of the series.
Most of the levels aren't too terribly difficult, but something this developer likes to do with all of their games is to throw in an unusually difficult board here and there to keep you on your toes. The later games have a rapidly charging skip button, but not the first few games.
Great price for the entire collection, but I would have liked it more if they had kept all the games separate instead of mashing them all together into one gigantic "game" with a game selection screen for a main menu. The fusion caused the loss of the different language support and Steam achievements which are available for some of the games that are available as standalone versions. Otherwise, highly recommended!

It's okay. It's not match three in the traditional sense, which was a little disappointing, and what it is instead isn't as good.
The core of the game is that you get three colored 'dragon scales' that you have to place in adjoining hexes, aiming for three of the same color touching each other. You are trying to get enough scales off the board within a certain time I think, though I an still early enough in the game that I have yet to run out of time.
There is a little more, specialized tiles, power ups, and what feels like a story of some sort, but it certainly hasn't drawn me in yet. Not even sure why we are doing this.
Still, I am only in game one, and there are seven of them, so it is a lot of game(s) for the sale price I played.
An easy one thumb up, a pleasant time waster, but not great.

This is one of the best series of games in the course of the game in three rows. I like that during the passage of levels you have access to a lot of bonuses and combinations. Very dynamic and beautiful animation. I recommend!

DragonScales is a wonderful calm and addictive game. You can relax and just enjoy simple gameplay with great music

Hex match 3 + unique + power ups = Place 3 pieces at a time within the surrounding spaces of each other. 7x the fun with this bundle. Several game modes to play.
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