“Freeze!” shouts our protagonist, J.J. Hardwell, who in exploring the titular creepy mansion finds himself in a green room which has the statement piece of “T-Rex Head in a giant jar of green liquid”. “You freeze! I’ve got a gun!” responds the tiny Dinosaur – named Dino Guard Wally – holding a pistol that is only slightly smaller than the dinosaur itself. “Oh my God you can talk.” responds J.J. and, naturally, we begin a match-3 puzzle battle between the two of them. Welcome to Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3.

Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 is the world’s first “Matchroidvania”, by which we mean it is a match-3 game that also takes the “start again with new knowledge and abilities to unlock new parts of the map” element of a metroidvania. It’s also very much a comedy, which is inspired by classic survival horror games, and an RPG now I come to think about it. You know what, let’s watch the trailer together, it’s easier.

“But what about Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 1 or 2, did I miss those?” Well, no, until very recently neither existed – Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 1: Re-Raptored from Pedalboard Games is actually in development right now – so you’ve not missed anything. CRDM3, in the universe of the game, exists as an intriguing sequel to the critically acclaimed original Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion, and the much more divisive big swing that was Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 2. Again, neither of these exist. I’m sort of getting ahead of myself though, because what you’re probably now asking is “Chris, mate, how did this game happen then? Come on now.” Well, don’t let me tell you, let’s ask the developers!

“We’ve had a few projects that come from my love of a specific mechanic, or angle on a mechanic.” says Studio Head Xalavier Nelson Jr. “And then there is a “bit” that I can’t let go of and over time I realize those two things can co-exist in the same space.” That angle on a mechanic was something Xalavier had loved about Puzzle Quest, the tantalizing idea that with a match-3 mechanic, you could really do anything.“You could negotiate with a guard via match-3, you could lock-pick a door!” It was taking this concept and just running as far as he could with it that unlocked Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3.

“I had also, for years, wanted to make a game called Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3. When the lightbulb went off and I realised this game could be brought to life with this mechanic I really believed in? Suddenly it coalesced and something existed thanks to the talents of many people over the years.”

Here at Strange Scaffold we tend to make tightly scoped games which in turn means we can work with smaller budgets and shorter than usual development times. CRDM3 however, has a longer development history than other titles. “Like I Am Your Beast,” – Xalavier Nelson Jr, Studio Head – “this was a Strange Scaffold project that got cancelled like, two or three times.” Getting Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 up and running was not easy, with the team being told “nobody cares about match-3” during one pitch meeting. This, along with other projects like Bass Reeves Can’t Die being cancelled had left the game, and the studio itself, looking at a bit of a darker future.

The success of both El Paso, Elsewhere and I Am Your Beast, however, had begun to turn things around along with the support of publisher Frosty Pop. And what could make for a tightly scoped, shorter development cycle better than a game that had already had some work done on it? When Colin McInerney, CRDM3 Co-Lead, Content Designer and Writer, stepped into the project, “There was two years of development on three different versions of this game” so, to say there was a Task ahead of them would be an understatement.

“A bunch of that code ended up being weirdly load bearing” explained Dan Pearce, Lead Programmer and Designer, “it ended up being if I take these variables out that we’re not actually using, none of the stuff that has just been developed is going to work properly.”

Now, while at first this seemed like it could be like diving into a web, having Dan join the game after development on I Am Your Beast finished meant that you had someone who knew how everything worked! The dream of all game development! This in turn led to the rest of the team being able to navigate development at a greater speed.

The team was also incredibly fortunate that back in 2022 Background Artist Judith McCroary had already created a whole bunch of stunning artwork that was ready to populate the various rooms you can explore in the mansion. “Our inspirations then were more click-based games, in the early iterations it was more roguelite.” But they still had a solid visual identity in place, “we wanted to keep it painterly, because we already had the character artist Marianee Canales, and she had already established a lot of that look.” And when it came time to expand the idea of the Mansion as a “Resident Evil”-like exploratory space, again, Judith absolutely nailed the look everyone was imagining.

Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 was a labour of love, from a studio known for throwing a lot of passion and heart into their titles. Honestly, to tell you too much more about Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 would spoil it, so, I won’t! I will say this, however. Of all the Strange Scaffold games, Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 is my personal favourite.

We have put out some wonderful games, but none have encapsulated the weirdness, the humour, the confidence and the open heart that I see in the studio quite as much as CRDM3. It has the “okay, I’m gonna try one more run” addictiveness packed with laughs, a wonderful soundtrack and beautiful artwork. I doubt many would expect to feel very emotional at the end of a game called Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3, but there I was on first completion – proud and overcome with emotion. I can’t think of a higher recommendation than that.

Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3

Strange Scaffold

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$19.99

$17.99

Get it now

Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 is "committing to the bit" so hard that it hurts. It's a sequel to a game series that doesn't exist, complete with lore and a fictional development team. It's a game where match-3 is used not just for combat, but for lockpicking doors, debating robots, and swallowing a bunch of diamonds in front of a notorious gem thief so that he can't steal them first. It is, all genre elements considered, a match-3 survival horror comedy RPG metroidvania, and it's rad as hell.

20 years ago, Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion emerged as a smash-hit genre fusion, casting fan-favorite protagonist Jack Briar in a fast-paced puzzle adventure.

8 years ago, Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 was announced on the biggest stage in gaming.

This is what happened next.