Gembay guide
How to play match-3: the rules, goals and blockers
Swap two pieces that sit side by side so that three or more of the same kind line up in a row or a column. The line clears, the pieces above fall into the gap, new ones drop in from the top, and you play on until you reach the level's goal or run out of moves.
The one rule: swap to make three
A match-3 board is a grid of pieces in a handful of kinds. In Gembay they are treasures from the shore: sea glass, scallops, starfish, moon shells, drops and shards, each with its own shape as well as its own colour.
On your turn you swap two pieces that sit side by side, left and right or up and down. The swap only counts if it lines up three or more of the same kind in a straight row or column. If it doesn't, the pieces slide back and nothing is used up.
- Neighbours only. You can swap with the piece above, below, left or right. Never diagonally, and never across a gap.
- Either piece can make the match. The piece you move and the piece it trades places with are both checked, so one swap can make two matches at once.
- Lines, not clumps. Three in a row or a column counts. Three touching in a corner shape does not, unless one arm is itself three long.
In Gembay you can drag a piece onto its neighbour, or tap one piece and then the next. With a keyboard, move the cursor with the arrow keys, press Enter to pick a piece, then an arrow to swap it.
What happens after a match: falls and cascades
Matched pieces clear. Everything above them falls straight down to fill the space, and new pieces drop in at the top of each column. If the new arrangement happens to line up three more, those clear too, and so on. Each extra round of clearing is called a cascade (some people say chain reaction or combo).
Cascades are free: they cost no moves, and in Gembay they are worth more as they go. Every piece cleared scores 10 points times the cascade step it cleared on, so a piece cleared in the third cascade of a move scores 30, three times as much as one cleared by your own swap.
The pieces that drop in are random, so you can plan your own swap but not what falls afterwards. That is part of the fun, and it is why every try at a level is a slightly different board.
Moves and level goals
Most match-3 levels give you a fixed number of moves and a goal to reach before they run out. Gembay's levels use four kinds of goal, sometimes two at once:
| Goal | What you do | How to approach it |
|---|---|---|
| Score | Reach a number of points | Make specials and cascades; bigger matches score more |
| Collect | Clear a set number of one kind, say 12 starfish | Prefer matches of that kind, even small ones |
| Clear the sand | Clear every square of sand | Match on top of the sand; use specials on wide patches |
| Turtles | Bring baby turtles down to the sea | Clear the squares under each turtle so it falls |
The moment the goal is met the level ends and you win. Every move you didn't need is worth 60 points, and your score decides your stars: one for finishing, two or three for a high score. So finishing in fewer moves is the main way to earn three stars.
If the moves run out first, the level is lost. In Gembay you can try again straight away, as often as you like: there are no lives and no waiting. Lose the same level twice and a helping tide gives you three extra moves on your next try; lose it four times and it gives five.
Bigger matches make special pieces
Match more than three and you get a special piece instead of a plain one. In Gembay a line of four makes a wave gem that clears a whole row or column, an L or T shape makes a splash gem that clears the squares round it, and a line of five makes a pearl that clears every piece of one kind. Swap two specials together and they combine into something bigger.
Specials are where most of the points and most of the blocker-breaking come from, so learning to spot them is the biggest step from beginner to confident player. Our guide to special gems and combos shows how to make each one and what every pair does together.
Blockers: sand, crates, ice, ropes and turtles
As levels go on, things appear on the board that get in the way. Gembay's harbour map has twelve chapters of ten levels; most bring in one new thing, with a card on their first level that explains it.
| Blocker | What it does | How to clear it |
|---|---|---|
| Sand | Lies under a piece; one or two layers deep | Clear the piece on top. Each clear takes off one layer, so deep sand needs two |
| Crates | Fill a square, so nothing falls through it | Make a match right beside it, or hit it with a special. Strong crates take two knocks |
| Ice | Freezes a piece: it can't move or match | Match beside it, or hit it with a special. The piece is freed, not cleared |
| Ropes | A tied piece can match but can't be swapped | Include it in a match (swap the pieces round it), or hit it with a special. The rope comes off and the piece stays |
| Turtles | Never match and can't be cleared | Clear what's under them; a turtle on the bottom square of its column goes home |
The common thread: crates and ice are broken from beside, sand from on top, and turtles from below. Crates also stop pieces falling straight down past them, so the squares underneath only fill slowly from the side; breaking through a row of crates early lets the whole board flow again.
What if there are no moves left?
Now and then the falling pieces leave a board with no swap that makes a match. Gembay spots this and shuffles the loose pieces for you, keeping crates, ice, ropes and turtles where they are, until there is a match to make. The shuffle doesn't cost a move.
If you simply can't see a move, wait a few seconds and a good one gives a little wiggle, or tap Hint. Hints are free and unlimited, and you can turn the wiggle off in Settings.
Your first few levels, step by step
- Read the goal. Each level opens with its goal and its moves, and both stay on screen while you play. Everything you do should move it along.
- Scan before you swap. Look along each row and column for two of a kind with a gap, or a pair with a third one step away.
- Look for four or five. Before taking a three, check whether the same pieces could make a longer line or an L.
- Prefer the bottom. When two moves are equally good, play the lower one for a better chance of cascades.
- Watch the counter. With a few moves left, take the swap that does the most for the goal right now.
- Try again freely. Each attempt is a new board, so a level that went badly once can go well the next time.
Beginner mistakes
- Taking the first match you see. It works, but a quick look round often finds a four or an L in the same spot.
- Ignoring the goal. Clearing pieces you don't need only helps if it sets up something you do need.
- Using specials in open water. A wave gem is worth far more along a row of sand or crates than across empty board.
- Forgetting the corners. Corner squares see fewest matches, so start on sand or crates there early.
- Rushing. Gembay has no timer on its levels, so there is nothing to gain by hurrying.
Questions
Can you move pieces diagonally in match-3?
No. You swap a piece with the one directly above, below, left or right of it, and the swap has to make a line of three or more in a row or column. Diagonal lines don't count either.
Can you swap two pieces without making a match?
Usually not: a swap that makes no line of three slides back and uses no move. In Gembay there are two exceptions: two special pieces can always be swapped with each other, and a pearl can be swapped with any piece next to it.
What is a cascade in a match-3 game?
A cascade is a match made by the falling pieces after your own match clears, without you doing anything. In Gembay each cascade step is worth more: a piece scores 10 points times the step it cleared on.
What happens when you run out of moves?
You lose the level. In Gembay you can play it again straight away, with no lives to lose and nothing to buy, and after two losses on the same level a helping tide gives you three extra moves (five after four losses).
Is match-3 luck or skill?
Both. The pieces that fall in are random, so no two tries are the same, but choosing the right swap, making specials and planning for the goal makes a big difference. Every Gembay level is checked by a test player that sees only the board, so each one can be won by good play.