About this game
Meteor Match is a space-rock puzzle game played on an eight by eight field. Six kinds of rocks fill the board, and each one has its own shape as well as its own color: jagged asteroids, round ice balls, red crystals, green jade hexagons, purple geodes and orange lava stars. Swap two neighboring rocks to line up three or more of a kind. They burst apart, and new rocks tumble in from above, which can set off chain reactions that multiply your score. Every level gives you a limited number of moves and a target score, so each swap counts. Make four in a line to forge a Pulsar that sweeps away a whole row or column, or match a two by two square for a Comet that knocks out its neighbors and flies off to hit another rock. Build an L or T shape for a Nova that blasts a small area, or line up five for a Supernova that removes every rock of one kind. Swap two special rocks into each other and they combine into something much bigger. When you reach the target with moves to spare, a Meteor Shower turns every spare move into a Pulsar and sets the whole field off for bonus points. If you run out of moves before reaching the target, the game ends and your total goes to the leaderboard.
How to play
- Swap: click or tap a rock, then click or tap a neighboring rock to swap them. You can also drag or swipe a rock toward a neighbor.
- Keyboard: the arrow keys move a cursor, and Space or Enter selects a rock. Select a neighbor next to it to swap.
- Match: a swap only works if it makes a line of three or more matching rocks in a row or column, or a two by two square of one kind. A swap that makes no match slides back and does not use a move.
- Specials: a match of four makes a Pulsar (clears its row or column), a two by two square makes a Comet (clears the four rocks around it, then flies to hit one more rock anywhere on the field), an L or T of five makes a Nova (blasts a 3 by 3 area), and five in a line makes a Supernova (swap it with any rock to clear every rock of that kind).
- Combos: swap two specials into each other. Two Pulsars fire a cross, a Pulsar and a Nova clear three rows and three columns, two Novas make a giant 5 by 5 blast, a Comet carries the other special to wherever it lands (two Comets send out three), a Supernova turns every rock of the other special's kind into that special, and two Supernovas clear the whole field.
- Goal: reach the target score for the level before your moves run out. Then the Meteor Shower turns each spare move into a Pulsar and fires every special on the field for bonus points, and the next level begins.
- If you stop for a few seconds, the game gently pulses one possible swap. If no swaps are left, the field is reshuffled for free.
Tips and strategy
- Work from the bottom of the board. Matches low down make everything above them fall, which often sets off free chain reactions, while matches at the top rarely disturb anything.
- Set up specials on purpose. When you spot four in a row, or an L or T shape, look for the swap that builds a Pulsar or a Nova instead of taking the quick match of three.
- Save Supernovas for a crowded field. Swap one with the kind of rock that appears most often to clear the most rocks in a single move.
- Two specials sitting side by side are worth more together than apart. Before you use one on its own, check whether you can swap it straight into another special for a combo.
- Finish levels with moves left over. Every spare move becomes a Pulsar in the Meteor Shower, which is often worth far more than one more ordinary match.
- Look one step ahead. After a swap, everything above the match shifts, so check whether the falling rocks will line up into a chain.
- Do not waste early moves. Each level has a fixed budget, so prefer swaps that clear four or more rocks or set off a special over plain matches of three.
- Use your last few moves on the biggest scoring swap you can find, and keep an eye on the target bar to see how much you still need.