Short: MatchHex is a 2D puzzle game where you rotate multicolored pieces and attempt to match up enough colors to form fully singule colored hexagons.
Background: Tetris, Puyo Puyo, Dominoes, Hex Tetris
Description: Everyone knows that a hexagon is made up of 6 triangles. Moreover, a field of hexagons fit nicely together – it is very easy to constitute many hexagons within the boundaries of other hexagons. Thus, by simple rotation, one can create a singular color hexagon from surrounding multicolored pieces.
Upon the formation of such a hexagon, it disappears, leaving a hole which is then filled by the surrounding pieces. Pieces slide off of each other following basic rules of gravity. This way, with careful planning one can create mutiple hexagon combos.
Reflection: But wait Greg, doesn’t this sound a lot like one of the new puzzle games in Nintendo’s bitGenerations GBA lineup? Why yes, you’re absolutely 100% correct. Ironically, only a few days before the release of dialHex gameplay videos, I had come up with the idea for nearly the exact same game during a five hour car drive. Of course, their design is much more polished, but the core gameplay is pretty much the same. Which invites the question, could Nintendo’s bitGenerations be a result of “forced creativity” as well?
IIRC, they have a big group of people prototyping whatever they can come up with at Nintendo, and when Miyamoto-san thinks one of them looks promising, he helps develop the idea and they kick it into production.