Gummy Drop Guide: Tips, Tricks & Strategies to Complete More Levels

Let’s face it: everyone wants to travel the world at least once, but not everyone can afford to. After all, plane tickets can sometimes cost an arm and a leg, and you might not even land the best seat. For many of us, hopping from one tourist spot to another might just remain a pipe dream best fulfilled by browsing through postcards or YouTube videos showcasing these wonderful locations.

But what if we told you that there’s a fun way to travel and go sightseeing without spending an exorbitant amount for plane tickets, or even getting out of your seat for that matter?

Enter Gummy Drop!, a match-3 game that lets you travel cities all over the world and discover interesting trivia about various landmarks and monuments, all while playing through colorful but challenging levels that are sure to pick your brains and keep you preoccupied. 

Released in December 2014 by Big Fish Games, the same folks that brought us EverMerge, Gummy Drop! offers thousands of levels that you can play to explore over 100 real cities across the globe. With each city comes a set of local monuments that you can build and learn trivia about, which can come in handy if ever you do decide to travel and put together an itinerary that intends to stopover some of the best places a city could offer. 

Like any match-3 game, Gummy Drop! has a set of goals that you need to fulfill for each level. These level goals can range from reaching a specific high score, clearing out special tiles, collecting gummies, etc. 

Each time you complete a level, you’ll also be able to earn rewards and resources, such as gold or orange bricks. Helping out locals can also get you additional rewards. From time to time, locals in your current city will pop up and ask you to help them, say, collect batteries or find other items. Playing through certain levels will allow you to complete this side quest of sorts. 

More rewards and resources can also be gained if you finish levels at a higher difficulty mode. Unlike other match-3 games, Gummy Drop! doesn’t have a star rating, but what it does have are 3 difficulty tiers that you can access later down the line. 

Your starter city is Sydney, Australia, and after completing Level 20 of Sydney, you can have the chance to replay each level in a difficulty tier that subsequently becomes more challenging. The three difficulty modes available are Intern, Architect, and Master Builder.

To unlock the next difficulty tier, a city must be completed in the previous difficulty first. For instance, to unlock Architect mode in Sydney, you need to finish all levels in this city under Intern mode first. Levels played in the Architect and Master Builder modes will yield more coins, resources, and other rewards.

Each time you manage to complete 10 levels in Intern mode, you’ll be able to encounter monuments, which we’ve mentioned earlier. Monuments are buildings or landmarks in every city that you can build using resources like bricks, which can be collected while playing. The next 10 levels can only be unlocked when these monuments have been built. 

As previously stated, monuments include some pretty interesting trivia. For instance, the first monument that you’ll unlock in Sydney after completing 10 levels is the Australian National Maritime Museum, which contains this fascinating tidbit of information: 

As you keep playing and building monuments, you’ll be able to also access your Passport upon completing Level 25. Your Passport, which can be viewed via its own tab in the main lobby of the game, is a tool that records your progress and achievements thus far. 

Your Passport is basically where you keep track of the monuments you’ve built and how many more monuments can be found in a specific city. Every monument built will be marked with a stamp on your Passport. Stamps can earn you travel vouchers. In Sydney, you can earn 20 travel vouchers per monument built. This can get you around 240 travel vouchers in total if you finish building all 12 monuments. 

You can collect travel vouchers by clicking on a stamp once it’s available in your Passport. Travel vouchers are used to unlock other cities without you having to complete your current city. However, keep in mind that the number of travel vouchers you have on hand will determine how long you’ll be able to unlock or access other cities.

That said, you can access a city for 48 hours with 400 travel vouchers; 14 days with 2,000 travel vouchers; and permanently with 4,400 travel vouchers. 

On the other hand, if you manage to complete building all the monuments in your current city, you’ll be able to unlock the next city on your list. Using travel vouchers mostly applies to other cities down the list. 

If you feel that these are a lot of objectives to fulfill, don’t worry! The game lets you keep track of what you need to do with a quick list of overall objectives. You can access this by clicking on the button for the side tab found in the main lobby. 

Of course, all this talk of rewards, travel vouchers, and monuments presupposes that you’ve completed each level you come across. Although it looks like a colorful, even whimsical, game, Gummy Drop! Will test your match-3 skills the more you play. Just like games of the same genre, Gummy Drop! has its own set of special tiles, obstacles, and boosters you need to get acquainted with so you can plan your moves and fulfill the goals set for each level. 

Fortunately, Gummy Drop! makes it a little easier for you to anticipate how you can approach a certain level. Before entering any stage, the game gives you a preview of what you need to accomplish, allowing you to gauge the odds. Let’s break down this preview into 4 parts based on the image below:

A. Level difficulty: This part indicates the difficulty tier you’ll be playing the level in. Since you’re a beginner, you’ll start with the Intern tier by default. Basically, this is the easiest any level can get. 

B. Goals: These are what you need to accomplish to complete the level successfully. As you play, you’ll be able to familiarize yourself with the specific symbols depicting specific goals. In this image, your goal is to reach a score not less than 45,000, collect 2 Giant Candies, and snap 38 photos from Cameras. This will make more sense once we get to the section discussing special tiles and obstacles. 

C. Boosts: These tell you what pre-game boosts are available and how many you have for each one. Pre-game boosts are those that you can choose before entering a level as opposed to in-level boosts, which you can use once you’ve entered a level. We discuss these in more depth once we reach the section pertaining to boosts. It’s up to you whether you want to use a pre-game boost if you feel that a level proves quite difficult to complete. 

D. Moves: This part indicates how many moves you have to complete that level. The more moves you have, the higher your chances of winning. If you don’t have a lot of moves, this can be a factor in whether or not you want to enter the level with a pre-game boost. 

Of course, this is just a sneak peek of what you’re about to encounter at a level so we need to get down to the details of how you can win. With our beginner’s guide for Gummy Drop!, you’ll be able to maximize available moves, use the best boosts at the right time, come up with effective strategies that can apply to any level regardless of their difficulty, and earn as many rewards as you can. 

Let’s get to it!

Special Tiles Are Your Friend

All match-3 games have one overarching principle: match 3 tiles to eliminate them from the board. If you’re familiar with this genre, you already know that it’s best to match more than 3 tiles so you can get a higher score, more combos, and, of course, special tiles that can yield bonuses and eliminate obstacles faster. 

In Gummy Drop!, you have 3 special tiles that can be made when you match 4 or 5 tiles in certain patterns. These are the following: 

• Line Crush Bonus: This special tile is made when you match 4 gummies in a straight line horizontally or vertically. The resulting special tile follows the direction in which the 4 gummies have been matched. Once activated, a Line Crush Bonus will eliminate gummies aligned to it horizontally or vertically. Keep in mind that a Line Crush Bonus is best used on boards that don’t have holes in their layout as their effect might not go through the gaps. 

• Bomb: Bombs are made when you match 5 gummies in a T or L shape. When activated, Bombs eliminate gummies within a certain radius. 

• Lightning Bolt: Lightning Bolt bonuses are made when you match 5 gummies in a horizontal or vertical line. Unlike the two other special tiles previously mentioned, Lightning Bolts only need to be matched with 1 gummy instead of 3 to be activated. Matching a Lightning Bolt with a specific gummy will eliminate all gummies of that type or color from the board. Take note that Lightning Bolts will not be activated even if it’s in a spot aligned with the effect of other special tiles. 

Swapping and Combining Special Tiles 

Since a recurring level goal is to reach a specific high score, swapping and combining special tiles is a great way to increase your score, trigger continuous combos, and even eliminate obstacles while conserving your available moves. So, whenever you get the chance to create special tiles, do so. Make an effort to swap and combine them for different effects. Below, we talk about the 6 different combinations you can make and what they can do. 

Line Crush Bonus + Line Crush Bonus 

Swapping 2 Line Crush Bonus tiles will let you eliminate gummies in a cross pattern. This happens regardless of whether you swap 2 Line Crush Bonus tiles bearing the same direction. This combo works great for eliminating obstacles that are arranged in a straight line. 

Line Crush Bonus + Bomb 

Combining these 2 special tiles will eliminate gummies in 3 columns or rows, depending on the direction of the Line Crush Bonus. This can be useful in clearing out the board when obstacles are placed in multiple lines. 

Bomb + Bomb 

Two Bombs combined will result in a bigger explosion that happens twice. Not only will this dramatically affect the arrangement of the board, but it also works well for obstacles that are bunched together. 

Lightning Bolt + Line Crush Bonus 

Swapping a Lightning Bolt with a Line Crush Bonus will cause all gummies of that color or type to become Line Crush Bonus Tiles. This combo is a great way to eliminate obstacles or collect gummies in places that are difficult to reach while also increasing your high score.

Keep in mind that the direction of the resulting Line Crush Bonus tiles will be random. Those already present on the board will not be affected. 

Lightning Bolt + Bomb

A Lightning Bolt combined with a Bomb will cause all gummies of that type or color to turn into Bombs. With multiple explosions on the board, it’s an effective way to clear and collect gummies, as well as replenish the board with new gummies while incurring a high score. 

Lightning Bolt + Lightning Bolt 

Though this combination can sometimes be tough to align, 2 Lightning Bolts combined will clear all tiles from the board. Obstacles that have more than 1 layer per tile, such as the Ice Blocks, will remain unless all their layers are removed.  

Now that we know the specifics about special tiles, let’s go through some general tips you can keep in mind when using them and their combined versions. 

General Tips for Using Special Tiles and Combos

• Don’t hesitate to activate special tiles or combos whenever you can. Try not to get too caught up in amassing special tiles on the board as they’re just one way to fulfill your goals. 

• You may deliberately make matches that cause special tiles to drop next to each other so they can be swapped or combined, but don’t spend too many moves trying to make this work if it’s improbable. 

• Create or activate special tiles depending on your objectives and the obstacles present on your board. For instance, try to gauge whether it’s more advantageous to combine 2 Bombs or a Bomb and a Lightning Crush Bonus if your objective is to collect pictures from Cameras. 

• Take the board’s layout into account when making special tiles. For instance, you may want to create a vertical Line Crush Bonus tile if the board is shaped like a door. On the other hand, having a Bomb might be more effective for boards that have a more circular orientation. 

Get Rid of Obstacles First 

In Gummy Drop!, obstacles serve 2 functions: first, they block the board in a certain way to make levels more challenging; second, obstacles are also tiles that may be eliminated, collected, or produce items that may be collected once you make matches next to them.

There are a variety of obstacles in the game that function differently from each other. Many are also included as part of your goals list, meaning you need to collect a certain number of these obstacles to complete a level. 

Generally speaking, it’s best to make dealing with obstacles your top priority. This is because some levels are tricky and eliminating one obstacle can lead to the appearance of another. For instance, after getting rid of all the Cameras on the board, White Tiles might suddenly take their place as they’re hidden underneath the Cameras. 

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. To know how to deal with obstacles, we need to give you a brief description of what they are, how they function, and how they can be eliminated or collected. 

Since there are tons of obstacles, we’ll outline the most common ones you’ll come across as a beginner in Sydney: 

Stickers

Stickers are immovable tiles that can only be eliminated from the board once you make matches next to them. Stickers can be arranged in any which way, but they are often lined together or bunched together, just like in the image above. Once they’re eliminated from the board, Stickers are collected as part of your goals list. 

Stickers are relatively easy to deal with, especially if you activate special tiles or combinations. For instance, Line Crush Bonus tiles can go through an entire line of Stickers to eliminate them. Stickers start to become challenging if they have two or more layers. Usually, Stickers with multiple layers look like normal Stickers but with more paper underneath. 

White Tiles

White Tiles appear as part of the board and can only be eliminated once matches are made on top of them. All White Tiles that have been cleared will be collected as part of your goals list. This is also a relatively easy obstacle to deal with, though you might struggle to clear the remaining 1 or 2 tiles if they’re placed in a spot that’s hard to reach. Like Stickers, White Tiles may also have multiple layers that you need to get rid of to clear them out of the board completely. 

Cameras 

Cameras are a little bit tricky: they can’t be moved and you need to make matches next to them so they can yield photos, which are collected as part of your goals list. Until you collect all the photos you need, Cameras will also remain as blockades on the board. But once you manage to get all the photos, these Cameras will disappear. Another obstacle may or may not appear from underneath Cameras that have vanished from the board. 

Special tiles must also “hit” Cameras for them to produce photos. For instance, based on the image above, a Line Crush Bonus tile traveling vertically next to the Cameras won’t produce photos. Only a horizontal Line Crush Bonus tile will be effective since its direction will go through a Camera. 

Among the obstacles that are included in this section, we recommend dealing with Cameras first. Doing so has the potential to free up space so you can have more gummies on the board and focus on other easier obstacles. 

Color Blockers 

Color Blockers are interesting obstacles: you can’t swap their places with a gummy, but they will move along with the board as opposed to being stuck in place, unlike Cameras. To clear and collect them, all you need to do is make matches that have the same color as the Color Blockers on your board. These matches don’t necessarily have to be close to any Color Blocker. Every time you make a match, one Color Blocker, starting from the left, will be filled. 

Once a Color Blocker has been filled up, it will explode and clear tiles in a cross pattern similar to the effect created by a combination of 2 Line Crush Bonuses. On occasion, you will encounter boards that have Color Blockers of varying colors. 

One of the best ways to deal with Color Blockers is when you manage to create a Lightning Bolt tile. This way, you can zap gummies of the corresponding color and quickly fill up the Color Blockers present on the board. 

Ice Cubes

Ice Cubes are obstacles that have multiple layers. This means they won’t be cleared from the board unless you make a minimum of 3 matches next to them. Each time you make a match, an Ice Cube will crack until they’re completely broken and disappear. Like other fixed obstacles, Ice Cubes can’t be moved around the board and will remain in place. 

The most efficient way to clear Ice Cubes is by using the Sunshine boost (more on boosts later). However, if you don’t want to spend boosts, Bomb tiles are a good alternative, especially if you manage to detonate many of them near this obstacle. 

Big Candies

Big Candies are fixed obstacles that can only be cleared and collected once you unwrap them. This can be done by making matches around them. You will need to make a minimum of 4 matches and at most 8 matches to completely take off their wrapping. Usually, you will encounter only 1 or 2 Big Candies on the board since they take up a lot of space.

Depending on how they’re positioned on the board, try to make matches that will affect multiple Big Candies at once. A Lightning Bolt combined with a Line Crush Bonus tile is a good approach to unwrapping them quickly. Bombs can also work, but only if you manage to detonate them between 2 Big Candies. 

As mentioned, these are just some of the obstacles you will encounter and there are many more that you’ll come across once you head to another city or progress through the levels. Regardless of which obstacles you may be dealing with, it’s a good idea to keep these general tips in mind. 

General Tips for Obstacles

• As mentioned, try to clear out all obstacles first. Not only will this accomplish part of your goals list, but you’ll also manage to free up space on the board so you can have more elbow room to make matches or combine special tiles. 

• Consider the difficulty and positioning of obstacles to knowing which ones you should deal with first. Generally speaking, the more difficult the obstacle, the faster you should get rid of them. After all, they may have hidden obstacles underneath them. 

• Use special tiles to conserve your moves while affecting or clearing out the most obstacles. We’ve mentioned a couple of ways you can deal with specific obstacles but remember that every level puts you in a different situation. Since there’s no time limit in completing a level, gauge your available options. 

• Specific boosts work better or can exclusively affect certain obstacles. For instance, Sunshine boosts can only be used for Ice Cubes. We’ll talk about boosts in the next section so you’ll know which ones work best for which obstacles. 

Use Boosts to Level the Playing Field 

Aside from special tiles that you can create when matching more than 3 gummies, you also have a handful of boosts that you can earn and use to level the playing field. While it’s ideal to save boosts and not use them willy-nilly, you’ll likely need them when dealing with levels that are more difficult than they seem. 

In Gummy Drop!, you have 2 types of boosts: pre-game boosts and in-level boosts. As its name suggests, pre-game boosts are those that you can activate before entering a level. In-level boosts, on the other hand, are those you can choose while playing the level itself and can be used anytime during that particular stage. 

Keep in mind that all boosts have a limited number unless indicated otherwise. Thus, you need to use them wisely. Of course, this will depend on the situation and how you’re progressing at that level. 

When choosing pre-game boosts, take into account the level preview, which shows your goals, difficulty tier, and the number of available moves. For instance, if one of your level goals is to collect Color Blockers, it may be a good idea to choose a pre-game Lightning Bolt Boost so you can fill up Color Blockers faster. 

In-level boosts are more situational in the sense that you should consider using them when you’re running out of moves and are still ways away from completing your level goals.

Let’s talk about the kind of boosts you’ll encounter for each type and how you can use them to your advantage.

Pre-Game Boosts 

• Line Crush and Bomb Boost: If selected before a stage, you will automatically get 2 Line Crush Bonus tiles and 1 Bomb tile. Their placements will be at random. This boost is generally effective for clearing out easy obstacles like Stickers or White Tiles while also contributing to an increased score. 

• Lightning Bolt Boost: This gives you 1 Lightning Bolt tile at the start of the level. This will be placed at a random spot on the board. As mentioned, this can be effective when Color Blockers are part of your goals list. You may also save up this boost for later so you can combine it with other special tiles. 

• Kite Boost: Upon entering a level, random gummies will be given the Kite Boost. If matched with the same color, a gummy that has the Kite Boost will release 3 Kites to clear 3 random gummies from the board. This is a pretty useful boost that works even for Cameras as Kites may randomly fly to Cameras so they can produce photos. 

In-Level Boosts 

• Shovel: Clears a single cell from the board. This is best used if you’re just one move away from completing your level goals but with not enough moves to accomplish this using normal matches. You may also activate the Shovel boost if you want to eliminate a single gummy to create a powerful special tile, like a Lightning Bolt tile. 

• Quake: Clears the cell you tap and 4 other random blocked elements. This is effective in clearing White Tiles or dealing with Cameras. 

• Color Blast: Clears all gummies of the same color from the board. Since it functions similarly to the Lightning Bolt, this can be a good alternative if you want to save your Lightning Bolt to be combined with other special tiles. 

• Sunshine: Melts away a single layer of ice. This boost is exclusively used to remove Ice Cubes from the board. 

• Line Crush Boost: Turns any target gummy into a Line Crush Bonus. Tap and drag the direction you want it to clear (this can be up, down, left, or right). In short, this turns any gummy into an instant Line Crush tile. However, the resulting Line Crush tile still needs to be matched with 2 other gummies of the same color or type to be activated.

Thus, consider the positioning of the Line Crush tile and make sure there are available matches nearby so the tile can be activated. This is great for clearing out obstacles that are in a straight line and you only have limited moves. 

• Shuffle: This boost rearranges the board to your advantage. However, unlike the other boosts mentioned, you can only get this boost by purchasing it from the market or Trade Center, or as a reward. 

We’ve sprinkled a couple of general tips for boosts throughout this section but here’s a summary below for your convenience. 

General Tips for Using Boosts

• Using boosts doesn’t count as moves so the best time to use them is when you find yourself running out of moves to spare and you’re still lagging in completing your level goals. Timing, of course, will depend on the situation and how you’re progressing in the level you’re currently playing. 

• Fulfilling level goals is a significant factor that can help you determine which boosts work best for a certain situation. For instance, the best boost for Ice Cube is naturally the Sunshine Boost. Color Blast boosts are most effective when you need to clear and collect Color Blockers. 

• A level’s difficulty should also be taken into account, especially if you’re thinking about activating a pre-game boost. Keep in mind that using a pre-game boost won’t guarantee a win. 

• Using multiple boosts can work, but the wisest course of action is to use the least amount of boosts while affecting the board and your level goals in the best way possible. 

• Consider using boosts in conjunction with the special tiles on your board. For instance, a Line Crush boost will work well when combined with a Lightning Bolt tile. 

Use the Free Spin for Extra Moves

Knowing how to deal with obstacles and being familiar with the different boosts and special tiles will surely increase your chances of completing a level, but these won’t guarantee your victory. Poorly made matches and missteps can still throw a monkey wrench into your strategy and cause losses from time to time. 

When this happens, you will still get one more chance to continue as the game grants you a free spin where you can get between 1 and 5 extra moves. However, since it’s a free spin, the number of extra moves you’ll get will greatly depend on your luck. You might get 5 extra moves, or you might get just 1 move, it’s the RNG’s call. Upon spending this free spin, you will need to wait 30 minutes for another one or pay gold to spin one more time. 

On the other hand, if you don’t want to rely solely on luck and have some gold to spare, you can also pay to get 5 extra moves that come in a set of 3. 

The problem is that gold can be somewhat hard to earn as you’ll only get 10 gold every time you complete a level in Intern mode. A respin costs 55 gold while getting the 15 extra moves costs 150 gold. If you think about it, this is a lot of money, so unless you have tons to spare, you might just want to repeat the level, though you will lose a life and your progress.

Additionally, you won’t be able to take back any of the boosts you’ve used for that level. 

The only upside to losing lives is that while you only have a maximum of 3 lives to spend, you’ll only need to wait for 15 minutes to replenish each life you’ve lost. 

In general, we don’t recommend spending gold for extra moves or respins since gold is the most common resource you will use at the Trade Center (more on this later). Because of the short waiting time for regenerating 1 life, it might be best to just repeat levels to save on gold. After all, free spins, respins, and extra moves still won’t guarantee a win so you might as well replay the stage since you already have an idea of what it looks like. With that, you may be able to avoid the missteps you initially made. 

Getting Additional Rewards 

Since we’re on the topic of gold and resources, let’s talk about some of the ways you can get more of them on the side. One of the easiest ways to earn free rewards is by claiming your daily bonuses. If you log into the game consecutively every day, you’ll be able to claim daily rewards that will become increasingly more valuable with every login. If you manage to log into the game for 30 days straight, you’ll be able to get some of the best rewards offered for that month. 

Of course, since daily bonuses are claimed each day, you’ll need to wait 24 hours before you can claim your next daily reward chest. If you happen to miss a day and break your streak, you can pay a small amount of gold to keep your streak. 

Aside from dailies, you can also get special gifts from time to time.

Special gifts are given at random so check back into the game every now and then to see if you’re given one. 

Similar to special gifts, you may also get a scratch ticket at random. 

Participating in daily events or other in-game events will also get you additional rewards. These events usually have a time limit until they can no longer be accessible. Daily events typically happen within the city you’re currently playing in. Usually, levels that are part of the daily event will be marked with a green exclamation point. 

On the other hand, in-game events may be accessed via a separate tab when you click the globe in your lobby. When you access the global map, you’ll be able to see all the other available events that you can participate in. One example is the Gummy Getaway: Italy event, which lets you travel to Italy and play levels in that city for additional rewards. 

At this point, you’re likely still playing in Sydney but participating in this in-game event will allow you to save your progress. So when you do reach Italy, you might not have to replay the levels you’ve already encountered. 

Claiming dailies, getting bonuses, and participating in events will get you a variety of rewards that aren’t only limited to gold. You may also get boosts, other resources (like bricks, gems, blue hats, etc), or perhaps even extra lives if you’re that lucky. That said, take advantage of all these avenues that can provide you with free rewards. Keep in mind, however, that in-game events don’t use a separate set of lives so if you lose a life there, that will be reflected when you play in your current city. 

Visit the Trade Center 

By the time you complete Level 50 of Sydney, you’ll finally be able to unlock the Trade Center. This is where you can buy resources with your coins, or trade extra resources for coins. Similar to a market in real life, prices and exchange rates may fluctuate so checking back from time to time can increase your chances of getting the best deals. 

We’ve previously mentioned that it’s a good idea to save your gold for use in the Trade Center, and that’s because this is the only place where you can buy resources if you find yourself lacking them. For instance, monuments are built using Orange Bricks, which you can only get by playing and winning levels.

Since the Trade Center option exists, it’s not unlikely that other monuments will eventually require more resources that you might not be able to earn just by playing. With the Trade Center, you’ll be able to gather resources quickly provided you have enough gold, and vice versa.

This means you won’t be stuck replaying other levels and can unlock succeeding levels since you’ll be able to have enough to build monuments. Thus, visit the Trade Center every now and then, and take advantage of low prices whenever available. 

With ample resources at hand, this concludes our beginner’s guide to Gummy Drop! Hopefully, you’ve learned how to strategize and maximize your moves by using special tiles and boosts, get rid of obstacles quickly, and gather rewards at every chance you get!

Are you an expert jet-setter and have other tips and tricks for your fellow travelers? Share them in our comment section below! Now, it’s time to pack your bags and take that round trip all over the world with Gummy Drop!