Cupcake Mix – WARNING: Do not play this if you’re hungry!

Cupcake Mix is a brand new match-3 game available at IWON. And every time I play it I seriously want to go make some cupcakes.

 Get into mah belly!

At first I thought I’d get bored of a game that was all cupcakes all the time. I’m not quite sure what I was thinking, because I’m definitely not bored. Just hungry. *^_^*

If you’ve never played a match-3 game before, don’t sweat it! It’s really simple. Your goal is to get three identical cupcakes into a line or a column. Once they’re there (and they’re all touching) they’ll vanish, and cupcakes will fall from the top to fill in the gaps.

For example, these 3! It was 4 in a row, but I ate one.

The hitch is that you can only switch cupcakes that are next to each other, AND the switch has to create a cupcake match. It may sound odd but you’ll get the hang of it. ^_^

You start out with five different types of cupcakes, and that’s all that you have for levels 1 & 2. But after that, you get a new cupcake every single level.

Well, I only got to level 7, so I have to assume that you keep getting new cupcakes each level. Even so, by level 7 this little game gets awfully tough. o_O

Don’t care. Still want to eat them.

On the left side it tells you how many moves you have left, which is freakin’ brilliant. ^_^ If you run out of moves the board will shuffle and you can try again.

Before you get too excited, realize that you only get three shuffles! You can click shuffle at any time, but you really want to hold them until you can’t make any moves.

The shuffles are the only special ability you’ll find in Cupcake Mix. You don’t get any special cupcakes for making a match 4+ or anything like that. It’s a pretty basic game.

 

Tips & Tricks

On levels 1-4, play near the bottom of the screen.

Down here. *Noms a cupcake*

You’ll set off more chain reactions and score more points this way.

Once you get to level 5+, play near the top. At that point you have fewer moves available and you need to play very carefully.

Also, keep in mind that “possible moves” really means “cupcake match.” If it says you have 1 move left then that means there’s one match of cupcakes to clear. But there might be more than one way to remove those cupcakes! Take your time and look. ^_^

 

Final Rating

Quite to my surprise, I really like the simplicity in Cupcake Mix! At first I thought it was too easy, but it gets challenging VERY quickly! I like that. ^_^ And I almost made it to the high scores!

So close!

If you can’t read that, basically the 10th place all-time high score is 105,400 points, and my all-time personal best is 100,200 points. *Grumbles*

The one thing that irks me is that there’s nothing to tell you how close you are to the next level. >_< It’s a guessing game! I have no idea why they left this out, but it’s really obnoxious.

So! My final rating is 4 stars out of 5. If you haven’t played it yet, go give it a shot and tell me what you would rate it! ^_^

Do you have any other tips you want to share? What’s your favorite match-3 game?

 

Similar Games

If you like match-3 games then you should really try some of these!

• Diamonds at Spigo – Match the pretty gems!
• SwapIt! at GSN Oodles – Right now this is a wintery remix, full of scarves, snowmen, and hot cocoa!
• Sweet Tooth 2 at Pogo – Full of cupcakes but still crave something sweet? Sink your teeth into this yummy game. ^_^

Breakdown – Shake down, you’re busted!

I’m going to be totally honest here. I put off reviewing Breakdown at BugleGames because I thought it was just another version of Collapse. *^_^* And it pretty much is, but it’s also (unexpectedly) much, MUCH harder.

 It looks so innocent…

For brevity’s sake I’m going to assume that you’re familiar with Collapse already. If you aren’t, click the link to Collapse and go read it. ^_^

Now, here’s how Breakdown is different.

 

1. It’s a lot faster.

Right from the start, Breakdown is much faster than Collapse. There’s no time to waste!

On the upside, the speed doesn’t seem to accelerate quite as quickly as in Collapse. So you have quite a few levels before you get to the pants-wettingly-fast stage.

Well this isn’t so ba- OMG I’M GUNNA DIE!!!

 

2. It’s easier to die.

Aside from the increased speed, it’s flat out easier to die here. Why? Well, the point of death is when you hit the top of the screen. In regular Collapse you can hit the top of the screen and be just fine. It’s only when the next line pushes you above that point that kills you.

Not here! If you reach the top you’re D-E-A-D!

 

3. There are more colors.

In regular Collapse you start with red, green, and blue blocks. At level 4 white blocks get tossed into the mix. And that’s it. With Breakdown you start with red, green, and blue blocks. But then it starts getting more complicated.

• Level 3 – White blocks are added.
• Level 6 – Cue the yellow blocks!
• Level 9 – Aqua?? Wtf?

Crap!

Judging by the pattern, I’d say you get a new color every three levels. But I never got to level 12, so I can’t say for certain. *^_^*

No matter what, it’s a heck of a lot harder to find groups of three same-color blocks when you’re dealing with 5+ colors!

 

4. No area bombs.

Area bombs are “regular” bombs that occasionally crop up in new lines. When clicked, they take out a wide area of blocks. Woohoo!!

Except that Breakdown doesn’t have them. Instead you get three “killer bombs” to the side which are sometimes AWESOME and sometimes they totally suck. You can launch one at any time and it’ll bounce around the top, taking out a block here and there. If the block is part of a group, it takes the whole group out.

It’s also really tiny.

I had one bomb bounce around until the timer ran out, taking dozens of blocks with it. And I had another bomb hit one (1) block before it bounced away. >_<

So! Don’t rely on killer bombs to save your butt. And remember, those three bombs have to last your entire game!

 

5. Extra time at the end!

One of my pet peeves of this type of game is that once the last line loads, your time is up. It doesn’t matter if there’s a bomb on it or anything. You can’t click it!

Breakdown finally changes that. (SWEET!) After the last line loads, you have 5 seconds to click and clear whatever you can!

YES!!!!

This makes me extremely happy. ^_^ Those last 5 seconds are a godsend, so use them!!

 

Final Rating

The graphics on Breakdown are a little rough, but the more I played it, the more I *got* the game. ^_^ And quite to my surprise, I think I might like this more than the original!

With regular Collapse, the challenge is to keep the board clear (and make big matches) as the game gets faster and faster. With Breakdown the challenge is to keep the board clear (and make big matches) even though you’re dealing with more and more colors. It seems like a small change, but it makes a huge difference!

So, what would I rate this?

*Ponders*

I think I’ll go for 4.5 stars out of 5. The erratic nature of the killer bombs is the only strike against this one.

Try it and share your own rating! ^_^ What do you think of the additional colors? And if you get to level 12, is there another color added? (Seriously, I want to know!)

 

Similar Games

If you like Breakdown, you might also like some of these games!

• Spongebob Squarepants Collapse at IWON – This might be my favorite version of Collapse. ^_^
• Poppit! at Pogo – Untimed, unrushed, and addictive. Try it!
• Merry Poppings at Slingo – Pop balloons and play with oodles of powerups!

SwapIt – Winter edition!

Brrrr!!

SwapIt is a match-3 game available at GSN Oodles. Right now it’s winterized and instead of gems there are ice skates, cups of hot cocoa, fuzzy hats, and more! It’s pretty darn cute.

 And festive!

This is a timed game with only two levels. In order to reach level 2 you MUST fill the goal bar! And you have only one minute to do it. ^_^

I want lollipops!

It’s a little weird to see the time gauge go down as the goal fills up. It… Wait, what was that about lollipops?

They look like lollipops! Seeeeee?! ^_^

Um.. okay. o_O

Moving on! The second level is also one minute long, so this is definitely a quick game! (Two minutes at the longest.)

*Sips a cup of hot cocoa*

If you fill the Goal bar before time runs out, you’ll get an extra point bonus. The bonus is based on how much time was left, so be quick!

 

Tips & Tricks

With most match-3 games it’s advisable to play near the top to prolong the game. SwapIt is a different story! Since you have such a short amount of time, you want to maximize the number of chains (successive matches) that you make. To do this, just play near the bottom of the board! If you get stuck you can hit “Help” and it’ll highlight a match.

SwapIt also has an AWESOME feature that I wish more match-3 games had. The board automatically shuffles a few pieces if you run out of moves! It happens incredibly fast, so you might not even notice unless you play close attention.

 

Final Rating

Generally I prefer this type of game to be untimed, but for some reason I REALLY like the short SwapIt rounds! *^_^* I don’t feel pressured or frustrated if I don’t make it to level 2. It’s just fun!

I’ll rate this one 4.5 stars out of 5. What would you rate it? Do you prefer timed or untimed match-3 games?

 

Similar Games

If you like match-3 games like Bejeweled, give some of these games a try!

• Merry Poppings at Slingo – An intriguing match-3 game with NINE power-ups!
• Diamonds at Spigo – Just like Bejeweled, only better, because you can win cash. ^_^
• Sweet Tooth 2 at Pogo – If you enjoyed the lollipop joke, you’ll LOVE playing with all of the candy in this delicious match-3 game!

Match Maker – Make me a match!

Match Maker is a Winster game, so you know it’s going to be a little different from what you expect. ^_^ It looks similar to other jewel-based match 3 games, but it’s not!

Let’s start with the basics. First, you’ll join a room that holds up to four other players. Each player has their own board. Click “Spin” to fill your board with gems!

Spin!!

There are five gem shapes and five gem colors, which combine to create 25 different gems! Whenever you get 3-5 gems of the same color and shape into a row or column, the gems will automatically disappear and any gems above the gap will fall into place!

Gravity check!

No new gems will appear until you clear your board, so work carefully! Move gems around by clicking on them and dragging them to new spots. If you drag a gem to a spot that already has a gem, the two will switch places!

Unlike other jewel games, in Match Maker you can switch any two gems on your board. They don’t have to be near each other at all! When you get down to two (or less) gems on the board, the game considers your board “cleared.” The remaining gems will vanish and you’ll pick up five bonus points!

To start a new board just click “Spin” again. This will give you completely new gems, but they’re always in the same pattern of what you had left. If the board is empty, you’ll get all new gems. If there are any gems left at all, clicking “Spin” will replace those gems with new ones. Like this!

 

Mirror mirror, on the wall..

As a general rule of thumb, don’t click “Spin” until you’ve made every match possible and traded all that you can.

What? You don’t know how to trade? Well relax, because trading is easy! Click on a gem on your board that you want to trade away and drag it to a gem on a teammate’s board that you want in return. They’ll see a Yes/No balloon pop up with a picture of the gem that you’re offering. ^_^

Yes please!

If they click “Yes” the gems will switch places! On the other hand, if someone offers you a trade then you’ll see the Yes/No balloon pop up with a picture of the gem they’re offering. Easy-peasy! 

 

Points

In Match Maker you get more points for bigger matches, and admittedly, sometimes that gets a little confusing. Just remember that a match is any group of gems that vanish at the same time. You can create chains where one group of gems triggers another group to vanish, but the game will count them as separate matches.

Now, there are three levels of matches: Basic, Advanced, and Pro. You can make whatever type of matches you like, but you’ll get more points for trickier matches! Let’s start with the Basic matches. For these you only need to focus on one type of gem. It can be any type, of course.

Match	Free Players
3 Gems	8 points
4 Gems	12 points
5 Gems	16 points
Clear Board	5 points

Basic matches are the foundation of Advanced and Pro matches. Remember, whenever gems are in a line of 3+ they’ll automatically cash in and disappear! To make the 4-5 gem matches you’ll need to keep the gems spaced apart in groups of two. Place the final gem to connect them together and make a match!

Advanced matches take a little more thought. For these you’ll need to work with two gem types and make both groups vanish at the same time. An easy way to do this is to use one gem from each group to block the other, and then switch the two gems to set off both groups.

In the pictures below you’ll see examples of how to make Advanced matches of 6-10 gems. The first picture shows the layout, with the key gems highlighted in green. The second picture shows what happens after you switch the two highlighted gems. There are many different ways to make Advanced matches! The pictures are just to give you an idea of what’s possible.

Match	Free Players
6 Gems	20 points
7 Gems	24 points
8 Gems	28 points
9 Gems	32 points
10 Gems	36 points

Making any matches above 10 requires more effort. The only way to do it is to use an unfinished horizontal 3-5 match to keep other matches apart. There’s a reason that these are Pro matches! Here’s how you might create a match 11.

Right now the blue gems in the middle are keeping the green and yellow gems from making a match. When we switch out the highlighted blue and yellow gem, we get this:

Now the three blue gems will vanish and the gems above them will fall down.

All of the remaining gems create a match at the same time, which makes this a match 11.

Use the same principles to make bigger matches! The biggest match you can make is 20, and you can check the Tips & Tricks section to learn how to make it! Here are all of the points for Pro matches.

Match	Free Players
11 Gems	40 points
12 Gems	44 points
13 Gems	48 points
14 Gems	52 points
15 Gems	56 points
16 Gems	60 points
17 Gems	64 points
18 Gems	68 points
19 Gems	72 points
20 Gems	76 points

 

Tips & Tricks

1. Trade!

To really succeed in Match Maker you need to trade. Clicking “Spin” resets the entire board, so look to your teammates for help!

When you join a room and hit “Spin” for the first time, wait to see if anyone needs your gems before you start moving things around. If you help others complete what they’re working on, they’ll be able to spin and get new pieces to help you make your own big match!

2. Let’s All Do The Hop

Sometimes you and your teammates might get stuck. Most players want to build big matches, but as we just discussed, that can only be done through trade. What happens when all of you are waiting for new gems, but no one wants to spin and lose what they have?

Well, you can hop rooms! Click the “Change Room” link near the top and you’ll move to a new room with new players!

I’d be hoppy to change rooms. ^_^

With a new pool of gems you can (hopefully) find the gems that you need. If you still need more gems, hop again! If you’ve made a new friend and don’t want to lose them in the hop, mouse over their name and click “Friend.” This will invite them to be your friend. If they accept you’ll be able to see what room they’re in!

3. The Almighty 20

The biggest match you can make is a 20. It may seem impossible, but once you understand how it’s done it will all make sense! Essentially, you use an unfinished horizontal match 5 to hold apart four vertical match 4s. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to do this!

 

	Setting up the pattern is the hardest part. Start by making a line of gems in the middle to separate the upper and lower halves. Reserve the center gem in another line and use a gem from that line to hold the middle.
	When you have everything ready switch the center gem out. This will make a line of five gems in the middle, worth 16 points. (64 points for Club Winster)
	The middle line vanishes, and the gems above it will fall.
	Now you have a match of 20!! This is the biggest match possible and is worth 76 points! (304 points for Club Winster)
	The last gems vanish and you’ll pick up 5 points for clearing the board. (20 points for Club Winster)

Altogether this pattern is worth 97 points! (And remember that you’re only using one spin for this.)  If you’re a Club Winster member you’ll get 388 points!

If you have trouble remembering how to make this pattern, think of the match 5 as a belt that goes across the board. It’s a defining line that keeps shirt (top half) and pants (bottom half) where they’re supposed to be. It’s also the only match 5 in the pattern!

4. No One Is Born An Expert

It can be frustrating to see a new player come in and spin their board over and over again. It’s even more frustrating when they don’t listen to the helpful advice that you and your teammates share. Why won’t they listen?!

The truth is, there is a strange conflict in our hearts. No one is born knowing everything but few of us want to admit that we’re ignorant, even if our actions broadcast the message loud and clear. So we pretend that we don’t need help, and sometimes even lash out at those who only mean well.

Your best bet is to direct them to this guide, and try to be helpful if they have questions. Once upon a time you didn’t know how to play Match Maker either! Remember your own newness and have compassion for someone trying to understand it all.

5. Be Polite!

Always say "Thank you!" and "You're welcome!" when trading pieces! At Winster they make this incredibly easy. Just click on the "ty" or "yw" buttons and you'll automatically say "Thank you" or "You're welcome!"

Politeness matters!

To thank a specific person, click and hold on "ty." A list will pop up with the names of all of the players in the room!

When you don't say "Thank you!" you appear ungrateful. People notice this and will stop giving you their extra pieces. It pays to be polite!

 

Final Rating

Conceptually, I like this game. ^_^ And for free players with a LOT of time on their hands, you can’t beat the points. (1 spin = 97 pts! That means the daily 200 free spins = 19,400 pts. Geez!!!)

But the downside is that getting a match 20 takes a good deal of time. And if there aren’t many players on, it’s downright impossible to get the pieces that you need. :(

So….. My verdict is that Match Maker is 4 stars out of 5. What would you rate it? Do you have any other tips you’d like to share?

 

Similar Games

If you like jewel-based games, try some of these!

• Diamonds at Spigo – A classic match-3 jewel game.
• Gem Drop at IWON – Appears simple, but it’s very complex!
• A Glorious World at Playtopia – This is more like pinball with gems. Very fun. ^_^

Note: The guide section of this post can be found on Winster, in the How To Play section. I was paid to write those guides for Winster, but I retained the rights to publish them on my blog. :)

HOWEVER, the “Final Rating” and “Similar Games” sections are not endorsed by Winster. What you read is my genuine opinion. I don’t do paid reviews!

Sweet Tooth 2 - A dentist's nightmare.

Sweet Tooth 2 is a match 3 game available at Pogo. There are two ways to play it: classic and caramel. Both are pretty fun, but they're quite different! By default you start out in caramel mode. If you want to play classic, click on the Classic Rooms tab first!

Ooh! Thanks!

Classic Mode

In classic mode you need to work through three boards to earn a jackpot spin. Switch candies around vertically or horizontally to create a line of three or more of the same type candy. It must create a match 3 or it won't work! The game will say "nuh-uh!" and switch the pieces back.

Switcharoo!

Every time you make a match of 3 candies or more, the candies fly over to Toothy and the remaining candies fill the gap.

CANDY!!!

The health bar (at the bottom) slowly drains as you play. But every time you make a match, the health bar fills up a little bit. Think of it like running up an escalator. ^_^ In order to get anywhere you have to move up faster than the escalator moves down.

In classic Sweet Tooth 2 you complete a board by getting the health bar to full! If you do this three boards in a row, you'll earn a jackpot spin. It's a progressive jackpot with a max prize of $4999, but you'll most likely win Pogo tokens.

There are three different difficulty levels in classic Sweet Tooth 2. The boards are same, but the health bar goes down a bit quicker. I've played this type of game a lot, and level 3 wasn't a problem for me. *Shrugs*


Caramel Mode

Oh no! The factory exploded and got caramel all over the floor! The only way to get it off is to match 3 pieces of candy together, and then the caramel will vanish. Oh, and this time you can switch pieces diagonally too!

Yes. Mmhmm. I see. Tell me more!

Caramel mode has 5 difficulty levels and several board shapes.

Oooohhh!

The only way to complete a level is to clear off all of the caramel!

A work in progress.

Clear the caramel off of three boards in a row to earn a jackpot spin! It's a progressive jackpot with a max value of $4,999. Again, you'll most likely get Pogo tokens. ^_^

Each match you make adds a little bit of health (time) to the health bar. If it runs out before the caramel is gone, you lose! :(


Special Pieces

Caramel mode in Sweet Tooth 2 has eight different special pieces. Whenever you make a match 5 you'll get a wild candy! This candy can be matched with anything.

Yum!

I've earned a wild several times, but I've never had a chance to use it. I always end up setting off a chain reaction and it makes a match on its own. Ah well.

Next, the five powerups!

1. The lightning bolt will remove all of one type of candy. You pick which one!

Ka-POW!!

2. The slightly radioactive chocolate chip cookie (SRC3) removes random candies across the board. It might also take out other powerups too, so save this one for last!

It's great with radioactive milk!

3. The square meal takes out all of the candies in a 3x3 area.

This many.

4. An event horizon will take out all of the candies in its row.

Woohoo!

5. Lastly, the vertical limit removes all of the candies in its column. And yes, I made up the names for all of the powerups. ^_^

You must be *this* tall to ride.

The next two special pieces appear only on levels 4 and 5 in caramel mode. Iced candies have a layer of icing around them, or so I've been told.

Extra sugar? I'm game!

To completely remove them you have to use them in two matches. Until the layer of icing is gone, you can't switch them with another piece. However, considering that they fall like regular pieces, and the first match you make with them will remove the caramel background, I don't see what the big deal is. *Shrugs*

The last special piece is also available only on levels 4 and 5. It's a chocolate coin!

Wow. That thing is creepy.

If you match three coins together you'll earn 150 points! (Each additional coin in the match adds 50 points.) Every ten points equals 1 Pogo token, so that means 15 tokens. Doesn't sound like much, but it's better than the 5 points per candy that you usually get.


Tips & Tricks

In classic mode, work from the bottom to maximize the number of chains you'll set off. You'll score more points and fill the health bar faster!

There isn't really a set method for caramel mode, as your actions will depend on what's on the board. Here are a few things to consider.

• Are there any immediately visible moves at the top? Although you probably won't set off chains, clearing the top row of caramel isn't something you want to save for last. It's much easier to move pieces down instead of up.
• What powerups do you have? I usually set them off as soon as possible. Powerups can and will clear other powerups if they're in the line of fire. Figure out the best order before you set them off!
• Don't forget that you can move pieces diagonally!

If you're a Pogo Club member and are working toward a badge, wait to finish the game. If you have one caramel piece left, make matches away from that piece to keep your health bar up and prolong the game.


Final Rating (and a tiny gripe)

The two different modes of Sweet Tooth 2 honestly make it two games in one. I prefer classic mode. Try both and see what you like!

But there is one thing that's in both modes and I really dislike it. It's Toothy the tooth. He starts freaking out before I'm even at half health, which in turn freaks ME out and I get distracted.

Think I'm exaggerating? Take a look.

Wait, what?

If you can't read that, he's telling me that I'm running out of time. And as you can see, I have more than half health left. I'm fine!

As the bar decreases he gets more dramatic and whiny. It's totally unnecessary!

There's no crying in baseball!

I rate this one 3 out of 5 stars. Yes, I dislike Toothy that much. But that's my opinion. ^_^ What would you rate it?


Similar Games

If you like Sweet Tooth 2, you might like some of these games too!

• Diamonds at Spigo - A match 3 game without a time limit. Yay!!
• Treasure Hunter at Spigo - This is a great mix of a card game and match 3 puzzles. Try it!
• Merry Poppings at Slingo - Work your way through 10 levels and 9 types of balloons! (Harder than it sounds.)