Threes! Walkthrough [Guide]

After Sudoku, Kakuro, and other math-based puzzle games comes Threes!, a very challenging and stimulating game from Sirvo LLC. Here, the object of the game is to not fill up the board, but rather to keep the board as empty as possible by combining tiles which would in turn add their values up. It’s a very addictive game, especially for those who want to exercise their minds, and it will definitely help in improving analytical skills and even your basic math, at least when it comes to dividing by threes. Here’s our comprehensive guide in ensuring that you are able to get the top score each and every time.

Gameplay
Threes! is a puzzle game where the goal is to score as many points as possible before the board fills up with tiles with values that include 1’s, 2’s, and various multiples of threes. This is done by sliding tiles so that specific tiles would combine into a single tile, with the new tile containing the sum of the combined tiles. There are a lot of rules to follow, but these are pretty simple once you’ve gotten the hang of it. High scores will be recorded so that you can compare your performance against other players, and there are also challenges that can be completed and given via Game Center.

Rules
By swiping left and right, players can move all tiles that are allowed to move in that direction. The only exception is tiles that are against the wall, as they will not move in the direction that you are swiping. Swiping will also cause certain tiles to merge, forming a single tile with the highest score. This will also allow new tiles to enter the grid, but this will appear randomly depending on what spaces open up.

When combining tiles, keep in mind that only certain tiles are capable of combining. Tiles with values of 1 and 2 will merge, and only tiles of the same value can merge should the tiles’ value are 3 or higher. Players should keep this in mind as this is the only way to both remove tiles from the board and to score points.

As tiles will gradually enter the grid, players should continuously make matches while thinking several moves ahead so that new tiles can enter the most advantageous spaces. Players will have an idea of what tile would appear depending on the color of the tile displayed at the reserved spot. Once the board has been filled up and no matches can be made anymore, then the current game will end and your total score would be computed.

Scoring
Scoring within Threes! is not taken at face value. Once the round ends, signified with the grid already filled up with no possible combinations left, the final score will be computed based on the value of the tiles remaining on the board. Tiles valued at 1 or 2 do not have equivalent points, while for tiles with values of 3 and up, the score begins at three and is further multiplied by three for every multiple of 2 for the tile in question. With this, the score of a 3 tile is 3, the score for a 6 tile is 9, 27 for 12, 81 for 24, and so on.

Tips and Tricks
One of the hardest things to do in Threes! is to visualize how your swipes would affect the current grid. With this, the game allows for a slow drag where in players would be able to see how tiles would move and how they would combine, if any matches are possible. This will not help you see, however, where random tiles would come out. Slow dragging will allow you to better strategize your moves as it will let you see how the grid would eventually look like once you finalize your move.

Players should also take their time as Threes! does not have a time limit. Plan your moves carefully, and don’t just swipe in any direction without thinking as this would more often than not result in an outcome that you do not want. Also, try to make the grid as balanced as possible, value wise. Don’t focus on having a single tile reach a very high score as you might have a hard time getting other tiles to catch up to the value so that they can be combined with each other. Let the tiles increase their values naturally, and this would increase your chances of making matches.

Also, try to control where tiles would appear, and use the knowledge or at least the probability of what values would appear next to your advantage. For example, blue tiles are valued at 2 while blue ones are valued at 1, so I would be wise to open up areas next to low valued tiles, On the other hand, white tiles would more often than not contain lower values still, so try and place them in areas where there is a higher chance that you would be able to make matches. Of course, there’s a slim chance of higher values appearing, so make contingency plans as well whenever these situations happen.

Get yourself used to how the tiles will move depending on which direction you swipe. Sometimes, you’ll get confused, and one wrong move can ruin your strategy since there are no undos available within the game. Using slow drag is great so that you can, in a way, test certain moves first, but once you’ve gotten the hand of the rules then you’ll find yourself swiping quickly as you’ve already gotten a pretty good idea of how things would turn out after.

Lastly, get rid of ones and twos as soon as you can. These are the values that are the easiest to merge. However, they can tend to litter the tiles, and having tiles that have lots of twos and ones will really work against you, especially if making matches are difficult. Try to balance out the values within your grid in order to be able to make matches and to be able to keep on going for longer.