Too often these days, the label "Casual Game" tends to carry a stigma of simplistic visuals painted with a palette of primary colors. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially to those of us that saw too many developers choosing style over substance, as it became relatively easy to produce slick-looking graphics. Just as we're now seeing so-called casual titles experiment with hybrid styles of gameplay, it only makes sense that better production values will also creep in. Paradise Quest is a great-looking joint that is at heart a match-three tile game. The idea of this being a match-three game bumps up against the great, sophisticated visuals and music contained here. Paradise Quest is a visual feast that really builds on strong production values to create a great package and a memorable experience for its players.

The idea of the game is that you're repatriating species in a tropical land that has gone downhill, rebuilding entire ecosystems that will be a home to exotic species. The Galapagos Islands' setting is perfect, considering the rich concentration of interesting animal species, and the famous history with Charles Darwin. When you begin, you'll view your island from above and see very little green, but each time you successfully complete a level, you'll earn resources needed to create more verdant surroundings. You'll also be able to bring native species back to the island, which you can view in their habitat or in a look-book available as a standalone feature. We would have liked more interactive displays for the animals, or at least some relevant facts about each of them, but kids will love completing their collection. The music is a standout, with strong arrangements, recording, and production that includes vocal work and what sounds like native rhythms. The World Music setting is a nice change from the standard synth patches used as a sonic backdrop in most games of this type. And if you don't like what's here, you can choose to listen to songs from the iPod library synced to your iPad.

It's neat to see both a standard single-player mode, and a multiplayer option. Multiplayer lets you host or join a game, with settings available for the host to choose maps, power-ups, and completion goals. These sessions can be played cooperatively, where you'll share power-ups, or competitively. Paradise Quest is the kind of game your friend may be happy to buy, after trying a few solo-play sessions. The single-player option lets you build skills through increasingly difficult levels, all the while returning animals to their natural setting on this beautiful island. Paradise Quest is a tile-based game where tiles contain colorful and detailed pictures of island-themed items. Some items are just good for making matches, while others become resources you collect to restore the island. Water, food, and wood are the obvious examples that you'll collect in order to make select habitats ready for habitation. We liked how progress wasn't completely linear; you can stockpile resources and choose where to spend them, as some habitats require more than others. Immediately upon restoring an area, you can view a snapshot of it with the new animals you've unlocked. We wished for something more animated, even if it just involved tapping to listen to each animal's call. Instead, you really just get to look at a pretty picture of the animals' homes.

When you are in a play session, there are some neat twists that separate Paradise Quest from other, similar games. The first is that you're working toward a goal of collecting sun symbols, scattered throughout the level. You can delay this task for as long as you'd like, but then you will fail to earn a time bonus. The time bonus is almost impossible to get, unless you're really cranking through a level. The trade-off for slower play is that you'll be more likely to gather bonuses and power-ups. The latter especially will make it easier to collect those sun symbols quickly. All this is accomplished by matching tiles, three or more, of course. You'll earn points for bigger matches, but three tiles are all you need to break loose those sun symbols and break away obstacles. An interesting device in Paradise Quest is how the camera moves in response to your matches. It's a bit disorienting at first, but you get used to it. The benefit of this rather unorthodox system is that you actually feel like you're in control and can explore each level. This also becomes a big part of level design, which sometimes involves skipping over empty space to reach new territory. All this variety means that even though you'll never stray from standard, match-three territory, it feels anything but standard.

New gameplay devices are introduced gradually, giving you time to master one power-up before throwing a dozen at you. The same is true for mechanics like moving the camera and jumping across obstacles to reach your goals. A tutorial comes turned on by default, but can be disabled if you really don't want the help. The general rule seemed to be that when you had exhausted all options, you needed to look for hints as to new areas surrounding your current map. The whole movement thing took some time to get used to, but we came to love it. There's no question that it makes things more difficult, since you have to seek out matches instead of just waiting for them to drop from the ceiling. It felt like matches eventually did drop from the ceiling, but Paradise Quest never felt easy. The best example of a challenging element in the game is the thick vine growing around tiles, that prevents you from moving them into position. You'll have to find a way to make that tile the third of a set, which can be difficult. And even when you do manage to break away the vine, you'll have to make one more match to really get that tile loose. Best yet, if you neglect this vine it will continue to grow over more of the map, proving what any homeowner already knows about yard work...

Touch controls are blissfully simple, and Paradise Quest is no exception. Tapping to select and again to move is one approach, but sliding in a target direction seems to work equally well. The mechanics for some power-up items or the map navigation are introduced too quickly, considering they aren't exactly intuitive. Some power-ups need only to be activated, while others require specific placement or do special things when placed on specific tiles. There's always help available in the game, but we would have liked a bit more context displayed when you touch power-ups or prepare to move on the mini-map. Menus are simple and straightforward, and there are social options for sharing on Facebook or email with friends. There's also a "bonus" section that involves buying another level pack, which includes 20 new levels and some night levels. Navigating in the dark is something you get to try on for size in Paradise Quest, but it's kept simple. You start these levels with a light shining around a set of tiles, and a dim point of light somewhere on the edge of your screen. Tapping the distant light turns off the nearby light, more like a lamp switching on and off. These are fun to play, especially once you master movement. It's hard to resist the temptation to swipe your way to another part of the map, but that's not how Paradise Quest operates. Going against convention makes sense once you realize that discovering those hidden parts of the map is part of what keeps Paradise Quest ticking.

We've been matching three for as long as we can remember, so it's not easy to get our attention with these games. Paradise Quest understands that there has to be perfect execution and some different twist to make a game in this genre compelling, and they've largely nailed it. The game seems biased toward a younger audience, but the interactivity is missing with all these great animals. In a perfect world, collecting animals in the Galapagos would be as animated and vibrant as Darwin described it from the deck of the Beagle. Things do feel a bit stiff at times in the game, with static snapshots of the animals and their environments, but great graphics and music balance the scales. More than anything else, solid gameplay and the option to explore the world of Paradise Quest with a friend makes this one worth seeking out.