Gems
Puzzle · 200 coins to play · free in your browser
A match-three played against a draining energy bar rather than a move counter. Every gem you clear feeds the bar and every second drains it, and the drain accelerates, so the game is really a question of whether you can keep finding matches faster than the clock takes them away.
Is this your next game?
For fast visual scanning and short decisions. Matches refill energy, so you must balance finding a stronger swap against the energy spent looking for it.
Try the controls — no login Choose a cabinet in the arcade →Try the controls here
Select two neighboring gems to make a row or column of three. Try a swap, inspect the actual cascade score, then use the hint to compare another choice. Shapes identify colors as well as their appearance.
The training clock advances one second per attempted swap from the last accepted move. Time does not run while you read; the arcade game has a continuously draining energy gauge. This exercise uses RetroZ’s game rules. No login, entry fee, saved score, coins or leaderboard rewards.
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How to play
- Tap two adjacent gems to swap them, or drag one.
- Match three or more of a colour in a row or column.
- The energy bar drains constantly and clearing gems refills it — run dry and the run ends.
Mouse and keyboard
Use a mouse or touchscreen: select two adjacent gems or drag one into its neighbour. There are no keyboard swap controls.
Controls on a touchscreen
- Tap a gem to select it, then tap an adjacent one to swap.
- Or drag one gem into its neighbour. The drag has to be clearly along one axis, so an ambiguous wobble does not fire a swap you did not intend.
Scoring
- 10 points per gem cleared.
- Triggering a special gem pays a 50-point bonus on top of the gems it clears.
- Cascades — matches created by gems falling into place — multiply the cleared-gem points up to 3×. Special-trigger bonuses are added separately.
Combos and multipliers
Valid swaps within 2.5 seconds of each other extend a combo. The first link is 100%; each further link adds 25 percentage points, reaching 300% total (3×, or +200%) at link nine. This factor applies to both score and energy refill, subject to the energy cap. A longer gap restarts the chain.
How a run ends
The energy bar reaching empty.
Worth knowing
- Each gem returns a base 12 energy, increased by the timed combo, against a drain that starts at 30 per second and climbs to 130 — the board gets no harder, but the clock does.
Your first run
- Find one legal swap, then glance at nearby columns while its cascade settles. Your next candidate may move as gems fall.
- Use tap-then-tap when a short drag feels imprecise. Select a gem and its adjacent neighbour; diagonal movement is not a swap.
A mistake to avoid
Ignoring an easy match while searching for a spectacular special. When energy is low, a small immediate refill keeps the run alive.
Worked example
A basic three-gem clear starts at 30 points and restores 36 energy before caps. The timed combo increases both score and energy refill in 25-percentage-point steps, reaching 300% total (3×, or +200%) at link nine. Energy cannot exceed its cap, and the drain accelerates as the run lasts longer.
Examples describe in-game points or resources. Wallet rewards are calculated separately after submission.
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Entry, rewards and fair play
Sign in to play. A run costs 200 coins. You need the full fee: with a lower balance, the run does not start and no coins are charged. Claim an available daily bonus before trying again. Your score can earn coins back and is validated by the server before ranking. How the economy and verification work →
Gems is in the daily rotation: 3 of the 16 games in the rotation pool carry a ranked board and a share of the community prize pool each day, drawn from the calendar date. This pool includes legacy BlockDrop and differs from the public catalog. On its day this cabinet wears a gold star.
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