Link up potions of the same color to remove them from the board

Use the arsenal of boosters, spells, special potions and bombs to your advantage

Restore magic to the world and stop the evil witch, Circe

The powerful evil witch, Circe, had drained the magical river, hording up all the magic in Hocus Puzzle for herself, leaving nothing for the other people. However, Serena, a good witch with powers equal to Circe, is determined to restore the flow of magic and to stop Circe once and for all. The journey to Circe’s lair is perilous and she’ll need all the help she can get. Will you help her?

In this brilliantly innovative game, Hocus Puzzle, you’ll need to strategically chain up potions of the same color in order to complete the required level objectives. Unlike the usual match-3 casual games out there, you won’t need to link up at least 3 potions in order to make a match. Not to mention, you can also link up your potions by drawing horizontal, vertical or even diagonal paths. As long as there’s a neighboring potion with the same color in sight, you can easily chain it up.

Each level provides you with a limited number of moves to complete all the goals required by the level. Due to this, the longer the chain, the better. You can save up on the moves you spend by removing as many potions Serena needs as you can with every single move. However, all of this might change when the game starts throwing lemons... uh, I mean creatures at you.

The quest Serena is on is not exactly the safe type, so it should not be surprising to you when you stumble on your first enemy, a talking Jack-o’-Lantern! Most hostile magical creatures in this game have this danger zone around them, which are helpfully highlighted in red. Whatever you do, you must avoid ending your chain of potions within this region or misfortune will befall poor Serena.

For instance, the Jack-o’-Lantern will gobble up all your score points if you end a chain around it, while for more powerful characters like the evil wizard Raspoutov, he may stun you for a turn and can teleport around the board whenever you make a move. This is why sometimes you are forced to make a strategic move and to cut your chain short just so you can avoid a certain creature and the effects it will cast on Serena.

Besides creatures, there are also special items you may need to collect such as cauldrons by dropping them to the bottom of the board, special potions like spell runes which grants bonus points, and enchanted stones by making a match over the stones. All of these challenges do make Hocus Puzzle quite a difficult game to play and honestly, after a certain milestone, you’ll find that failing a level is getting more and more common. Each failed level will cost you a life out of the 5 that you already have. Lives can be regained by waiting, spending real cash or by pestering your friends.

Thankfully though, the game provides a nice brief explanation of any new elements it introduces within a level, and well... there are a crazy load of special potions, bombs, boosters and spells that you can use to so-called “level the playing field”. Most special items can be created by matching a certain number of potions up, such as the rainbow potion and the bomb. However, there are also other potions, like the protection potion, which can only be obtained by luck or from the special generator of sorts that it is produced from.

Besides that, you will also have up to 4 different boosters you can buy using premium gems to give you a clear advantage at the start of a level. Let’s not forget about the amazing spells at your disposal, which can help you collect all potions of the same color from the board, stun all enemies for 2 turns, destroy 10 random enchanted stones, teleport Serena from one spot on the board to another, and more!

Like most casual games, Hocus Puzzle offers up to 3 stars to earn per level, which is pretty easy to get at least for the first 20 levels. The game currently has 70 levels in total, which is a tad bit less than what some games have during launch, but not to worry – the game’s constantly updated with new levels every now and then. In other words, you’ll definitely have plenty of levels to play.

The best part about the game though is definitely Serena’s many outfits. These outfits can be unlocked by collecting the necessary components from the spin-the-wheel lottery embedded within the game. Each outfit has its own special power, so depending on the levels you play, you might want to switch outfits as you see fit. That being said, the game’s graphics and sound are very well-done. They combine to form a very magical atmosphere in which you can play the game in.

Although the game is not yet globally available (North America only at the moment), Hocus Puzzle proves to be a very innovative casual puzzle game that is not only addictive but also challenging enough to keep you coming back for more. If you love trying out new casual games, Hocus Puzzle is definitely a game you won’t want to miss!