Merging, resonance, locked tiles and wave scaling — the whole game explained.
Press any tile and a ring of light spreads outward from that tile. Merge two matching tiles while the ring is lighting both of them and the result skips a rank instead of climbing one — alpha and alpha land on gamma rather than beta.
This is the difference between reaching the target and running out of time. Ordinary merging alone is usually too slow past the early waves.
Resonances performed back to back multiply the gems paid out. The board tracks your best chain for the wave, and a long chain is worth far more than the same number of separate resonances.
The ring starts narrow at the tile you pressed and widens as it travels. Tiles near your press light almost immediately; distant ones light late. Plan the pair you want before you press, then press the tile between them.
Three things tighten as you climb, and they tighten separately.
| What changes | Early waves | Late waves |
|---|---|---|
| Ring speed | 4.0s to cross | 1.2s, floors around wave 19 |
| Ring width | 2.6 tiles | 0.9 tiles |
| Target distance | 3 ranks above base | up to 5 ranks above |
| Locked tiles | none | up to 7 on the board |
A fast ring is survivable — you just press sooner. A narrow ring means fewer tiles are lit at any instant, so the window where both halves of your pair are lit shrinks toward nothing. Late waves are won by pressing tiles that sit between two pairs, not beside one.
From the middle waves onward some tiles arrive locked. A locked tile cannot be selected and cannot be merged, and it sits in the way of everything around it.
Free one by merging in a square directly beside it. The count grows as waves climb, so late boards can carry seven of them at once — which is as much a space problem as a time problem.
| Mode | Timer | Extends | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peace | 100s | 2 free | learning the ring without pressure |
| Normal | 50s | 2 free | the intended pace |
| Hard | 30s | cost gems | deep runs, once resonance is automatic |
Play Peace until you can set up a resonance on purpose rather than by accident. Then go straight to Hard. Normal is a comfortable middle that teaches you less than either.
Hard charging gems for extends is what makes it hard — a run there is a budget as much as a puzzle.
The ring spreads from where you press. Pressing between two candidate pairs lights both; pressing beside one lights only that one.
Merging the lowest ranks first creates the raw material for the next tier. Chasing a single high tile early leaves you with a board of scattered singles.
A hint only charges when there is genuinely a pair to show, so asking on a board you think is stuck is free information if you were right.
They only get worse. A locked tile in the middle of a late board splits it into two halves that cannot help each other.
Ten coins and a gem for opening the game. It is the only income that costs nothing at all, and it is easy to forget.