Garden Swap
Swap two neighbouring tiles to make a line of three or more of the same kind. Each level has a goal and a fixed number of moves, with no timers and no lives.
How to play Garden Swap
How to play
Drag a tile onto a neighbour, or tap one tile and then the one next to it. A swap only counts if it makes a line of three or more matching tiles across or down; otherwise the tiles slide back and no move is used. Matched tiles are collected, the tiles above fall down, and new ones drop in from the top, which can set off more lines by themselves. On a keyboard, move with the arrow keys, press Enter to pick a tile, then an arrow key to swap it.
Goals
Each level asks for one to three things at the top of the board: collect a number of one kind of tile, pull every weed (clear a tile that sits on a weed; thick weeds take two clears), or cut every bramble (make a match next to it, or catch it in a breeze or seed pod; old brambles take two). Reach every goal before the moves run out.
Special tiles
A line of four makes a breeze, marked with arrows: when it is cleared it sweeps its whole row (arrows across) or column (arrows up and down). An L or T shape makes a seed pod, ringed with seeds, that clears the 3 by 3 square around it. A line of five makes a sun: swap it with any neighbour to clear every tile of that kind. Swapping two special tiles together sets both off, and two suns clear the whole garden.
Levels, daily and bonus plots
Easy, Medium and Hard each have 12 levels. Use the arrows next to the level number to pick any level; New game opens the next one. The daily garden is the same for everyone, and once you finish a group, New game makes fresh bonus plots that are checked in the same way.
Questions
Can every level be won?
Yes. Every level, daily garden and bonus plot is played through by our hint gardener before you see it, and it reaches the goal within the move budget. Move budgets are set by simulating many players, so Easy levels are generous and Hard ones need some planning.
Is there luck in the new tiles?
Less than you might think. The tiles that drop into each column come in a fixed order set by the level, so the same swaps always give the same result. Restart and the garden plays out exactly as before, which lets you plan and try a better route.
Are there lives, timers or energy?
No. Play as many levels as you like, as often as you like. There is no clock, nothing to wait for and nothing to buy. If you run out of moves, simply try the level again.
What does the hint show?
It tries every legal swap from where you are, works out exactly what each one does including the tiles that fall afterwards, and highlights the one that does most for your goal, saying how many tiles, weeds or bramble layers it takes.
What happens when no swap is possible?
The garden reshuffles its tiles by itself so that a swap is available again. This never costs a move.