Merge Pool is a brand new iOS-exclusive arcade game from Voodoo, a company that’s responsible for popular mobile titles such as Dune! and Dunk Hit, among others. In Merge Pool your goal is to launch colored balls into an arena in order to score as many points as possible. The mechanics are simple enough to pick up. You just need to pull the ball back, drag it from side to side to aim, then release to launch it into the arena. If it hits a ball that has the same color, it will merge with it, increasing the value of that ball. Unlike the original pool game, there are no pockets to shoot the balls into. You score points solely based on making balls bump into each other as they roll around in the arena. Of course, that doesn’t make this game easier in any way. You will need the help of our list of Merge Pool tips, tricks and hints in order to score major points in the game.
1. Understand The Scoring System
While it is easy to just keep launching balls into the arena, you won’t be able to maximize your score if you don’t know how points are awarded. You need to know how to score in order to come up with a good strategy for getting points. That is why you should take time to understand the scoring system before you spend hours on the game.
Points are awarded when you merge like-colored balls. All the balls you launch will initially be worth 1 point. When you merge two balls, you are awarded with the sum of their points. For example, merging two balls with the number 1 on them will award you with 2 points. If you merge a number 3 balls with a number 4 ball, you will earn 7 points. The balls get bigger as you merge them, making it easier to hit them later on.
One more thing you should keep in mind is that when you merge more than set of balls in a single shot, you will earn bonus points for the multimerger. This will multiply the points you get by the number of sets that were merged. That means if you merged three sets of balls, your total points earned will be multiplied by three.
2. Prioritize The Exploding Balls
When you create a ball with the number 5 on it, it will explode and give you five more balls to shoot. This is important because the game ends when you are out of balls in your deck. Instead of running after more points, you need to prioritize creating exploding balls to ensure a healthy supply of balls. Trying to get multimerges by leaving balls in the arena isn’t worth it if the game ends before you can execute your combo. Remember, the longer you stay alive in the game, the more points you will get, regardless of your multiplier.
3. How To Control The Balls
The game tells you how the ball will behave after you launch it by placing arrow indicators on the screen. The farther you pull the ball back, the more power it will have when you release it. This is indicated by the arrows on the screen pointing farther away into the arena. If you make a very light pull on the ball, it will show the arrows squished together, indicating that the ball will just slightly roll in the direction you are aiming. If you want to have a bunch of balls gathered together, just have them roll to one side of the arena. Keep in mind that balls that have higher numbers on them will be heavier. They will be more difficult to move if you try to bump into them using the regular balls.
4. Think Before You Shoot
Although it is important for you to make the number 5 balls explode as soon as possible, there will be times that you need to hold off. What you need to consider is that when a ball explodes, the force of the explosion will make the adjacent balls fly around for a bit. This can mess up future merges that you have set up. If you just need one or two moves to make certain combos, it is better that you do that first before you make a ball explode.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you can shoot your next ball even while the other balls in the arena have not settled into place. There will be times that it will be better for you to immediately launch a ball while the other balls are still moving. One example of this is if a ball is rolling and it will be easier to merge it before it rolls too far away. Observe the movement of the balls carefully to see if there are any opportunities for you to score even before they all stop rolling.
5. Use The Special Balls Wisely
There are two types of special balls in Merge Pool. The first one is the rainbow ball, and it is really useful. It can merge with any ball, so you can keep in a corner somewhere as an emergency backup. It’s usually a good idea to avoid merging rainbow balls until you have a 4-point ball. This way, you don’t have to wait around to create a 5-point ball.
The second type of special ball is the grey ball. It is really more of an obstacle since it does not merge with any color, not even the rainbow ones. As you progress in the game, you will be getting more and more grey balls. The only thing you can do when you get one is to make the most out of the situation. You can use it to bump other balls into merges. Another option is to just have it roll off into a corner where it will stay out of the way of other balls. Unfortunately, the grey balls will eventually scatter, especially after an explosion. You will just have to deal with it the best way you can by bumping it off to the sides when you have the chance.
It’s time to earn some high scores in Merge Pool! Just follow our tips and tricks and you will be raking in points with ease!