GemBurst

match-3 puzzle

A match-3 where the currency is time, not moves. The clock starts at sixty seconds and only ever runs down: every match hands a little back, and less of it each level, so a long game is the reward for playing better rather than for playing longer. Levels come from detonating special gems, never from points alone — a four in a row makes a line gem, a five makes a bomb, and neither counts for anything while it sits on the board. From level three a sixth colour enters and lucky matches grow scarce.

Play GemBurst

How to play

The goal is simple to say and hard to do: keep the clock alive, and score as much as you can before it stops. Swap two neighbouring gems to line up three or more of one colour; a swap that lines up nothing is refused and the gems slide back. Matched gems burst, the ones above fall into the gap, and fresh gems drop in from the top — when those landings make new lines the chain keeps going, and chains are where the big scores live. Scoring: ten points per burst gem, multiplied by the chain step and by the current level, so the same match pays double once you reach level two. Time: each match returns a few seconds — around three and a half early on, never less than one and a half later — and the clock is capped at ninety-nine. Levels: a four-gem match leaves a row or column gem, a five-gem match leaves a bomb that clears a three-by-three block, and you rise a level by setting those off — three of them for level two, then one more each time. Every level grants ten seconds, and level three brings in a sixth colour. Running out of time is the only way to lose; your best score stays on the device. Controls: drag a gem onto its neighbour with finger or mouse; P or Esc pauses, Enter or Space resumes and replays, M toggles sound. The buttons at top right open the rules and the sound, which starts off and remembers your choice.

How it works

The board is eight columns by nine rows of gems. Each colour has its own shape as well, so a red circle never looks like a yellow diamond even at a glance. Drag a gem onto a neighbour, up, down, left or right, and the two swap places. If the swap lines up three or more of the same colour in a row or a column, they burst, the gems above fall into the gaps and new ones drop in from the top. If it lines up nothing, the gems swap straight back.

The game runs against a clock:

You start with 60 seconds. The timer counts down in real time and turns red and flashes in the last ten.
Every match adds time. At level 1 that is 3.25 seconds per match. Each level takes a quarter of a second off, down to a floor of 1.5 seconds from level 8.
The clock never holds more than 99 seconds. Time earned above that is lost.
When it reaches zero, the game is over. The final screen shows your score, the level you reached and your best score, which is kept in the browser.

The clock stops while the game is paused and while the rules panel is open. If the board ever runs out of possible swaps, it reshuffles itself.

Special gems and levels

Special gems are the heart of the game, because they are the only way to climb:

Four in a straight line leaves a line gem, marked with an arrow. A horizontal four makes a row gem, which clears its whole row; a vertical four makes a column gem, which clears its whole column.
Five in a line leaves a bomb, which clears a 3×3 square around itself.
The special gem appears where the gem you dragged landed, if that square was part of the match. Otherwise it appears in the middle of the line.

A special gem goes off when it is part of a later match, or when another special's blast reaches it, so one detonation can set off a chain. Every special gem that goes off counts towards the star counter next to the level. Three detonations take you to level 2. After that the goal is the new level plus two: four for level 3, five for level 4, and so on, with any extra carried over. Each new level adds 10 seconds to the clock, and from level 3 a sixth colour joins the board, which makes matches harder to find.

Scoring

Every gem removed is worth 10 points, multiplied twice:

by the cascade step. The match you make yourself counts once; if falling gems form a new match on their own, that one counts double, the next one triple, and so on.
by the level. The same match is worth five times as much at level 5 as at level 1.

Gems cleared by a blast score like any other, so one detonation can be worth more than several ordinary matches.

Strategy that actually helps

Build fours and fives on purpose. Ordinary matches only buy time. Levels, the 10-second refills and the level multiplier all come from special gems, so a swap that sets up a four is worth more than a quick three.

Choose which gem to drag. The special gem lands on the square your dragged gem moves into. Pick the direction that leaves it next to other gems of its colour, so it is easy to match and set off.

Straight lines only. In this game an L or T shape of two threes does not make a special gem. Only four or five in one row or one column does.

Play low on the board when you can. A match near the bottom moves more gems as they fall, which gives cascades more chances to happen, and every cascade step raises the multiplier and adds time.

Do not hoard time past 99. Once the clock is near the cap, extra matches add nothing to it. That is the moment to spend a few seconds lining up a bigger combination.

Watch for the hint. If you leave the board alone for a few seconds, two gems that make a valid swap start to pulse.

Common questions

Is it free? Yes. It runs in your browser, with no signup and nothing to download.

Does it work on a phone? Yes. Drag a gem with your finger onto the one next to it. It works in portrait and landscape.

Why can I not hear anything? Sound starts off. Tap the speaker button at the top right to switch it on; the game remembers your choice.

Does the game ever end on its own? Only when the clock runs out. There is no last level, so how far you get depends on how well you keep the timer fed.

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Also available in: Italiano