Drop the Cargo Down
The cargo can't be matched away; clear what's beneath it so it sinks to the exit.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- Design focus
- Planning · Spatial · Time
01The core loop
Action → feedback → next choice- 01Locate the cargo's column
- 02Clear pieces under it
- 03Cargo falls with gravity
- 04Reach the exit to collect
↻Feedback changes the situation — the next round starts from there.
Walk through one round
A simplified design example. Situations and numbers illustrate the mechanic, not exact rules from a reference game.
- T1
Turn 1 · The situation
8 moves left; two cherries sit in columns 2 and 6, each 5 rows from the bottom.
- T2
Turn 2 · The player chooses
The player makes a vertical striped candy beneath column 2.
- T3
Turn 3 · The feedback
It clears the whole column and the first cherry drops straight to the exit.
- T4
Turn 4 · The next decision
With 6 moves for the second, the player tries the same idea in column 6.
How it plays
Cargo pieces never match; they only fall as pieces below them clear, and are collected at a bottom exit. Players dig down the cargo's column while handling blockers and sideways shifts, usually within a move limit.
What the player weighs
- Vertical clears vs horizontal ones: vertical drops cargo faster but is harder to set up.
- Focus one cargo vs juggle several: with cargo spread across columns, choose which goes first.
02Start small
Scope is an editorial estimate for the minimum prototype, not the reference game or a production schedule.
03One mechanic, different implementations
Candy Crush Saga
Ingredient levels require bringing cherries and hazelnuts to exits at the bottom; they can't be matched and only fall as candies below clear.
Homescapes
As far as I know, some match-3 levels also feature objects that count only once they reach the bottom of the board, requiring players to clear beneath them; the specific objects may vary by version.
The difference worth noticing
Candy Crush makes it a dedicated level type, while Homescapes tends to mix it into combined goals.
Case notes are Yoroll editorial summaries; rules may change between versions.
04What could you combine?
Attach a timed order to each cargo piece with faster delivery paying more, so players rank which to drop first.
Prototype this combo in Yoroll→Follow the next idea
Fill a Line to Clear It
Space is the only resource: fill a line to reclaim it, or get crowded out.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Read current and next piece
- 02Choose where to place it
- 03Full lines clear space
- 04Shape the gaps for later
Gravity Cascades
One clear drops pieces from above into new matches, and the chain keeps going.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Predict what falls
- 02Clear low on the board
- 03Falling pieces chain
- 04Collect bonus value
Merge Three, Climb a Tier
Put three identical things together and they become the next tier up.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Get a low-tier item
- 02Place it beside matches
- 03Three merge into next tier
- 04Plan higher-tier merges