Open House

Dust off your rubber gloves and sharpen your puzzle-solving wits, this house is not going to fix itself. Open House blends satisfying match 3 levels with a satisfying interior makeover mission, where every match earns you a star to help declutter, redesign, and revive a run-down estate one lovingly selected item at a time. You’ll get to pick furniture, choose color palettes, and banish every leaky pipe and cracked cabinet from your soon-to-be stunning hideaway. Gameplay-wise, it’s sparkly and fast-paced, with explosive combos, jazzy background music, and all the usual power-ups, bombs, rockets, cascades, that make match 3 feel like popping bubble wrap in heaven. What sets it apart? You can skip the dialogue or just let the story fly by in chipmunk speed, so you still get the gist without slogging through Oscar’s emotional baggage. (Yes, the main character is named Oscar, and yes, he has a floppy-haired sidekick vibe.) You’ll also meet quirky side characters, help with dramatic household disasters, think flooded kitchens and mild indoor infernos, and enjoy the company of a charming animated pet who mostly exists to look cute. Bonus fun fact: the concept of home renovation as entertainment dates back at least to the 1800s, when wealthy Victorians would throw 'housewarming theatricals,' hiring actors to help reveal their remodeled drawing rooms. Apparently, even back then, everyone loved a good before-and-after.