Trio Stack

What it is

Trio Stack is a single-player tile matching game. A pile of tiles sits on the board. You tap a tile that nothing lies on and it moves to a tray that holds seven tiles. When three tiles with the same picture meet in the tray, they clear. Clear the whole pile and the level is won.

Every level has a way through. There are no lives and no energy, so you can play as many levels as you like, one after another.

The pictures are drawn for this game: sun, moon, leaf, drop, flame, star, key, anchor, bell, cloud, bolt, gem, crown, clover, spiral and mountain. Each has its own shape as well as its own colour, so colour is never the only clue. Tiles that are free to take are bright and raised. Tiles that something lies on are shaded and wait.

The first level is tiny and teaches the idea in a few taps, with one short line of help at a time. From there the levels grow: more tiles, more layers, more different pictures, and a tray that has less room for a wrong turn. Every fifth level from level 10 is a calmer one, to catch your breath. Later on, some tiles are veiled and show their picture only once nothing lies on top of them.

How to play

1. Tap a bright tile. It flies to the tray and settles next to tiles of its own kind, if there are any.
2. When three alike are in the tray, they clear with a soft chime.
3. Take the tiles on top first, so the ones below come free.
4. Clear every tile to win. If the tray is full and nothing clears, the level ends and you can carry on with a tool or start again.

The buttons under the board help you out, and they cost nothing:

• Undo puts your last tile back. You get three undos in each level.
• Shuffle deals the pictures of the tiles left on the pile again, in a way that still leaves a way to win. You get two in each level.
• Pull out 3 moves loose tiles from the tray back to where they came from, so the tray has room again. You get two in each level.
• Hint shows a good tile to take. It is free to use, and it lowers your star rating.

On a keyboard, the arrow keys move between free tiles and Enter or Space takes one. U, S, P and H are undo, shuffle, pull out 3 and hint.

Your level is saved after every tile, so it is as you left it when you come back.

Modes and options

• Levels. Open the menu and choose Levels to see the ones you have played, with your stars. You can replay any level you have reached.
• Daily level. One level a day, the same for everyone, picked by the date in UTC. Clearing it builds your daily streak.
• Relaxed play. In Settings, turns the limits on undo, shuffle and pull out 3 off, so they never run out. The bonus at the end of a level is then smaller.
• High-contrast tiles. Covered tiles get stripes as well as a shade.
• Vibration. A small buzz when you pick, clear or miss, on phones that support it. You can turn it off.
• Statistics. Levels started and cleared, clear rate, sets cleared, three-star clears, best score and your daily streak.

When you press a tool that is used up, a message tells you it is out. From it you can switch on relaxed play, so the tools do not run out, or close it and carry on without.

Tips

• Look at what each tile covers. Taking a tile that frees several others opens up your options.
• Try to keep pairs, not single tiles, in the tray. A tray full of different pictures is the one that ends a level.
• Plan around the veiled tiles. You cannot see their picture until you free them, so leave room in the tray.
• Use undo freely. Trying a line to see where it leads is part of the game.
• For three stars, clear a level without any tool or hint. One or two uses give two stars, and more give one.
• If the game tells you there is no way through from where you are, undo a few tiles or pull out 3 and take a different path.

Questions people ask

Can I win every level? Every level has a way through, and a shuffle keeps it open. You can still box yourself in by taking tiles in a poor order, and then undo or pull out 3 gets you out. When the game can see that the pile can no longer be cleared from where you are, it tells you.

Are there lives or energy? No. You can try a level again as often as you like.

What do the tools cost? Nothing. Undo, shuffle and pull out 3 are free, with a few uses in every level.

How are stars given? Three stars for a level cleared with no tool and no hint, two for one or two uses, and one for more. Relaxed play still counts the uses.

Is the daily level the same for everyone? Yes. It is picked from the date in UTC, so everyone gets the same pile on the same day.

Do I need to sign up? No. Your progress, settings and statistics are kept in your browser on this device.

Does it work in other languages? Yes, in 20 languages, including right-to-left ones such as Arabic and Urdu.