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Match Mystery is a match-three puzzle with a twist on the usual shape rules: as well as lining up three or more identical gems in a row, you can clear them in an L shape, which opens up positions that a strict row-and-column game would not allow. It was built in Construct 3, released in August 2023, and runs in portrait.
Levels are endless and grow in complexity, with the visual theme changing as you progress, so the game is paced as a long series of short puzzles rather than a campaign with an ending.
How to play Match Mystery
Tap and drag a gem to swap it with a neighbour. If the swap creates a line of three or more identical gems, or an L-shaped group, those gems clear and everything above falls into the gap. If it does not, the swap reverses and you have lost nothing but the moment.
The L shape is the mechanic worth learning first, because it is the one most players never use. An L of five gems clears more of the board than a straight line of three and frequently sets up a cascade underneath.
Playing the bottom of the board
In any match-three game, a clear near the bottom is worth more than the same clear near the top, because everything above it moves and can chain. Beginners scan for the most obvious match anywhere; a stronger habit is to scan the lowest two or three rows first and only look higher if nothing is available.
Cascades are where scores come from. A deliberate low clear that triggers two follow-on matches beats a large manual match at the top of the board almost every time.
When the board stalls
Boards occasionally reach a state with few obvious moves. Resist making the first swap you find. Look instead for a move that will drop a different colour into a crowded area, since changing the composition of a region creates more future options than clearing three gems from an already sparse one.
Match Mystery FAQ
Are there lives or a timer?
No. You can take as long as you like over a move, and a failed swap simply reverts.
Does the difficulty keep rising?
Yes, levels grow more complex indefinitely; the game has no final stage.
Does it work on desktop?
Yes, with click and drag. It is portrait, so it sits in a tall frame on a wide screen.
Using the L-shaped clear
The L rule changes how a crowded Match Mystery board should be read. A gem does not need to sit in a straight three-piece line to matter; it can become the corner of a shape after one swap. Before moving, check the cells above and beside the proposed match as well as the row itself. That extra scan is especially useful when a normal horizontal match would leave an awkward single gem behind.
That is the difference between a board that merely contains matches and one that creates them on the next move.