When you have powerhouses like Bejeweled and Puzzle Quest defining an entire genre, it’s tough to break into the world of the Match 3.

Steam Heroes joins the genre with some solid artistic stylings, good gameplay and enough unique elements to make it a successful Match 3.

You play as a trio of heroes, each with a different power that must battle through twelve levels of bad guys. By matching different steam-punk themed pieces, you build up your defense, offense and general ability to stay alive against bad guys.

By matching bombs you attack the enemy and get one step closer to winning the match. If you match five you gain a special icon that may be a super bomb or a token to fill your various power meters.

But in this Match 3, time is of the essence. It isn’t a back and forth like Puzzle Quest, instead, you are constantly attacked by the enemy and must match as fast as possible in order to fight back.

The trial version of the game contains three different stages and is quite well executed.

The voice acting isn’t the best and the writing almost unnecessary, but seriously, the art is good. It really nails the setting from a colorful perspective and the variety of enemies and characters look cool.

The game clocks in at 240 Microsoft Points ($3), which isn’t much, but frankly I would have liked to see more content. The game only contains twelve stages, and the trial version takes you through three of them.

But if you love Match 3 games, definitely check this one out.

This brief preview was a first look at the trial version of Steam Heroes and does not represent the full game.