A classic match-3 game, Fishdom has had years of constant updates and polish. As a result, it's one of the best and most fun match-3 games on the mobile market! As you play, you'll be able to earn in-game currency to build a beautiful aquarium full of incredible fish, each with its own personality.

Fishdom is a mobile match-3 game first released in 2008. Since 2019, it's followed a "freemium" model, meaning the game itself is free to download. In order to make money for the developer, some of the in-game currencies are sold for real money in an in-game shop. At first, Fishdom is incredibly easy to play without spending money, but as you progress further into the game, you may find that your playtime each day is limited unless you spend a bit of cash.

Almost all of the gameplay in Fishdom follows a basic match-3 template. When you start a new round, a large grid is populated by various symbols. To play the game, you switch the location of two of these symbols to try to get 3 or more of the same symbol to appear adjacent to each other in the same row or column. Once this happens, all of the matching tiles disappear, moving the rest of the grid. 

At the start of the round, several symbols are surrounded by golden borders. The goal of each level is to clear all of these golden bordered symbols off of the grid. As you play through the level, a number of special tiles will spawn in, giving you the ability to use dynamite to clear a large section of the board and take advantage of other powerups.

Fishdom is advertised heavily with ads depicting a more generalized puzzle game. Every once in a while, you're given the opportunity to play a mini-game involving one of these more general puzzles. One example involves a fish moving through a tube. Every so often, you are prompted to choose one of several objects to allow the fish to get past an obstacle. Another example involves a fish caught in a complex web of interlocking tunnels and levers. You get to pull on various levers to allow the fish to escape safely. While these minigames are fun and engaging, they don't happen very frequently. Expect to play quite a few rounds of match-3 in between these minigames, and expect them to disappear once you get high enough level in Fishdom.

Part of the appeal of FIshdom is the ability to create a detailed, customized fish tank. As you clear match-3 levels and minigames, you get various in-game currencies that you can use in a special shop. You can use these currencies to purchase fish, decorations, and even entire themes that you can apply to your in-game aquarium. Each fish is lovingly crafted and has its own personality, meaning you'll enjoy watching them swim around in the little world you built and interacting with each other. 

The detailed aquarium building mode and the well-crafted match-3 gameplay make Fishdom a great game to spend a few minutes on each day. While the freemium model punishes playing for hours on end once you hit high levels, the game is much more fun if you play it in shorter spurts. This way, you'll get to appreciate your aquarium when you log in. Since you make steady progress, you'll always have new fish and decorations to look forward to the next day.