Lia's Color Match: a clay match-3 game

About Lia's Color Match

The Grayling scrambled the clay on Lia's boards at the Rainbow Studio. On every level, only the bottom ball of each column can come out: tap it and it hops into the 7-spot tray; three of the same color make a match and go into that color's jar. Clear the board and the colors come back to the picture. The colors start out spread across the board, so every match makes you think about which columns to pull from. Every level can be solved: the game checks before showing you the board. The first two levels teach you how to play; from level 3 on, random tapping won't cut it; from level 20 on, the boards demand that you look more and more moves ahead. Along the way you'll meet the gold star, the hidden ball, the frozen ball, balls stuck together, the padlock and key, and the surprise box. Every level gets 2 tries, and Scribble helps once in each. Your game is saved on your device, and the points from the whole game go to the site leaderboard.

In Selminha's words

“Ball-and-tray match-3 games are a hit on phones, but they usually come packed with ads and paid boosts. I wanted one for the Backyard Town gang, made of clay, where the only help is Scribble and the fun is in thinking before you tap: every level can be solved, and the farther you go, the more moves ahead you need to see.”

How to play Lia's Color Match and tips to go far

1. Tap or click a bottom ball, the ones with a white outline that keep hopping. It goes into the tray and the column moves down. On a computer, ← → or A D pick a column and Enter (or Space) takes the ball; on a controller, use the D-pad and A.
2. Three balls of the same color in the tray make a match, which goes into its jar on its own. Back-to-back matches, no more than 5 seconds apart, are worth double, triple and up to five times as much.
3. If the tray fills up with no match, Scribble puts the last 3 balls back on the board (once per try, for 50 points). If it fills up again, that try is over. Every level gets 2; lose both and the game is over.
4. The special pieces show up one at a time, and Scribble explains each one: the star (level 2), the hidden ball (4), the frozen ball (7), balls stuck together (11), the padlock and key (15) and the surprise box (21).
5. Tip: before you tap, look at the balls that will show up when the column moves down. Save room in the tray for colors that are about to come out, and don't start a new color when the tray is almost full.

The rules

Bottom ball only

In every column, only the bottom ball, the one with the white outline, can come out. When it does, the column moves down.

The tray

It has 7 spots. Balls of the same color stay together; three of a kind make a match, which goes into its jar.

Every level can be solved

The game shuffles and checks, before showing you the board, that there is a way to clear it without filling up the tray.

Tries

Tray full with no match: Scribble puts the last 3 balls back, once per try. If it fills up again, that try is over. Every level gets 2; lose both and it's game over.

Saved game

The game remembers the level you are on. When you come back, you can continue or start over.

The special pieces

Gold star

Once it reaches the bottom, tapping it is worth 50 points, and it doesn't take up a spot in the tray.

Hidden ball

It stays gray, the color the Grayling left behind, and only shows its color when it reaches the bottom.

Frozen ball

Stuck with a number: every match that goes into a jar melts it a little. If it reaches the bottom still frozen, it locks its column.

Stuck together

Two balls joined with bubble gum come out at the same time and take up 2 spots in the tray.

Padlock and key

One spot in the tray starts out locked and only opens when the key reaches the bottom and gets tapped.

Surprise box

It holds 3 matching balls that hop straight into their jar when you tap the box.

Controls on phone and computer

Computer

Tap or click a bottom ball (white outline) · ← → or A D pick a column · Enter or Space take the ball · P or Esc pause · M sound · F full screen · supported controllers: D-pad picks, A takes, Start pauses, Back toggles sound.

Touch

Phone held upright, in full screen; on a tablet, the game follows the way you're holding it; on a computer, it's landscape. Tap the bottom ball of any column. Your game is saved on your device, so you can close it and pick up later.

Levels and points

The levels

The first two teach you the game on a 6×6 board with 4 colors. After that the board grows up to 9×9 and the colors go from 5 to 8. Every 10 levels there is a challenge level.

Thinking ahead

From level 20 on, the game picks boards you can't clear by looking just a few moves ahead: 3 at level 20, 4 at 30, 5 at 40, 6 at 50 and 7 from 60 on.

Points

Each match is worth 10, multiplied by up to 5 for back-to-back matches. The star is worth 50; each level you beat, 100 plus a speed bonus of up to 100. Scribble's help costs 50.

Leaderboard

When the game is over, the points from the whole game go to the site's TOP 5.