Royal Match Beginner’s Guide: Tips, Tricks & Strategies to Help King Robert to Rebuild His Castle

In recent times Turkey has been making a name for itself as a hub for mobile gaming startups, especially those targeting the puzzle niche. One of the most promising developers in the country is considered to be Dream Games, which recently released its very first mobile game entitled Royal Match. The newcomer is available globally for both Android and iOS platforms.

Since the team at Dream Games previously worked on Toon Blast at Peak Games, before the company was acquired by Zynga in the summer of 2020, the two releases share a lot of common elements which are especially evident in the main menu areas.

Obviously, Royal Match is based on an entirely different story where you are invited to help Kind Robert restore his royal castle to its former glory. To rebuild the stronghold, players require stars and these get unlocked gradually as rewards for solving a series of match-3 levels.

Unlike Toon Blast which is a tap-to-blast kind of puzzle game, Royal Match bests of the classical recipe instead and offers fans a straight-forward match 3 experience. If you played games like this before, then you already know everything you need to know to start playing.

But just in case you’re new to this game genre we’ll cover the basics quickly so that you can get an idea of what to expect. Your main task during levels is to create matches of 3 or more tiles of the same color. All Royal Match levels feature a limited number of moves and players should solve the puzzle before running out of them. The remaining moves are displayed on the right side of the screen, above the items that need to be collected.

Speaking of which, each level comes with an objective. At first, your goal is to simply collect a number of tiles of a certain color (red, blue, green). As you advance to the upper stages, though, things slowly get more complicated as additional ‘special’ elements are added to the board. These are extremely varied, and so you’ll need to employ different methods to be able to get them off the board as quickly as possible.

The better you become at solving puzzles, the faster you’ll unlock new areas around the castle and give them a royal makeover. Royal Match seems like a walk in the park at first, but the game will eventually require a lot of skill and concentration on your part.

If you’ve recently picked up the game, and already found yourself stuck on a stage, don’t stress, we’re here to give you a helping hand. We’ve created a comprehensive Royal Match beginner’s guide which includes a number of useful tips, tricks and strategies that will provide support in your quest of becoming a true puzzle master. By using the following instructions, you should be able to overcome the challenges and serve your king efficiently.

1. Pick Your Moves Wisely

Royal Match might be a casual game, but it requires a lot of focus. To this end, it’s never a good idea to make random matches on the board, as matching just for the sake of matching won’t get you too far in a match 3 game like this one.

Instead carefully consider your next move every time, and make sure you’re matching purposefully with the intent of taking steps towards completing the level objective. Avoid wasting precious moves by paying real close attention to what’s happening on the board.

Check the level objective and get acquainted with your target. For instance, you could be tasked with collecting a number of elements of a particular type, so prioritize getting to them from the very beginning. Some might appear to be blocked by other pieces, so make sure you try and clear away the obstacles as soon as possible.

Can’t spot any matches? Luckily all you have to do is wait a few seconds and the game will suggest a match for you. Note that you’re under no obligation to follow these recommendations. If you believe the match does not serve your purposes, you’re free to ignore it and find a better one on your own.

Suggestions like these can be quite helpful when you’re trying to locate larger matches on the board. A lot of times, the game will show you where the 3+ tile combos are at, and that’s quite helpful. We’ll talk more about Boosters in a later section, but for now just keep in mind that constantly seeking out larger matches is always the best policy when you’re playing a game like Royal Match. Sure, 3-tile matches are still OK, but you’ll end up using a lot more moves if you limit yourself to them.

In conclusion the gist is this – don’t rush to do anything on the puzzle board. Take your time to consider all your options, after all the levels are not timed so you can ponder your next move in peace. Whether you’re hunting for large matches, or you just looking to make a calculated match, slow down and you’ll get better results.

2. Replay Levels Often

Another piece of advice is not to give up so easily. Be perseverant in your attempts of solving a puzzle. If you can’t beat a challenge from the first go, don’t get discouraged. Try different approaches as much as you can. For example, when replaying a level, start matching on a different side of the board this time around, or perhaps target a different type of special elements with priority. Don’t limit yourself to using only one type of game plan.

Fortunately, the nature of match 3 games encourages you to do just that. Each time you replay a level, the initial tile loadout will be different, but it depends on chance whether the layout is accommodating to your objective or whether it won’t do you any favors. Unfortunately, in Royal Match you can’t exit the game once you viewed the initial board, unless you’re fine with losing a life. So you should give your best shot every time you fire up a new level. If the result is failure, perhaps you’ll have better luck next time.

Another way to put things in a different perspective is to take a break from the game. A timeout might clear your mind and make you approach the puzzle in a fresh new way upon your return. So if you’re having a hard time with a particular puzzle, we recommend that take a step back. It might just the fix you need.

3. When In Doubt – Match At The Bottom

Matching at the bottom of the board is always a good idea when you’re playing a match 3 game. This strategy makes it possible to create a cascading effect by allowing new tiles to come in through the top and might end up creating some additional matches accidentally.

The best part about matching at the bottom is that you can get access to additional Boosters without much effort. While this strategy is highly effective, you won’t be able to apply it constantly. Some tile arrangements make it difficult to access the lower part of the board, so in cases like these, the best course of action would be to focus on removing any obstacles first, before going ahead with matching at the bottom.

Now the rule-of-thumb is this – whenever you feel like you could benefit from a tile-refresh or a few more Boosters, concentrate your efforts on the lower side of the display. If there’s no free space down there, be sure to create some and fast.

4. In-Level Boosters Are Great In Combination

Like any match 3 game, Royal Match gives you ample access to all sorts of Boosters. The more common ones are those you can make yourself on the board by locating larger matches. In this game there are four of these you should watch out for:

Rockets: make one by matching 4 same colored items in a line. Once activated, Rockets can clear an entire column or row of tiles, depending on their direction.

TNT: make a L or T-shaped match to create one of these explosive barrels. TNT will clear all tiles in a 3×3 radius.

Propeller: match 4 items in a square formation to create one. Once activated, the Propeller destroys elements in its vicinity in a “+” pattern and then takes off. It then lands in a different part of the board and inflicts one last act of damage by blowing up a tile that can be counted towards the level objective.

Light Ball: match 5 items in a line to make one. The Light Ball targets all tiles of a certain color on the board. Once activated, the power-up destroys them all.

While these Boosters are quite effective on their own, when combined their effect increases considerably. For example, if you blend together two TNT barrels this will provoke a devastating explosion that will wipe out a good portion of the board.

Another interesting combination is the Light Ball with any other Booster you have at your disposal. In this scheme, the Rocket/TNT/Propeller go on to replace all tiles of a certain color thus causing multiple blasts on the board. A double Light Ball combination is also a boon, so if you ever stumble upon one don’t hesitate to make the match.

Booster combinations help you finish off puzzles a whole lot faster, while leaving plenty of leftover moves to spare. This is note-worthy, because at the end of each puzzle, the game converts the remaining moves into Boosters and explodes them all over the board for extra coins. Speaking of gold, you can collect more via the bonus levels that pop up now and again.

5. For Really Hard Levels, Activate All Pre-Level Boosters

Sometimes good ol’ regular Boosters simply aren’t enough. So when times get rough, you might want to bring in some extra reinforcements.

If this describes your current situation, then you should probably consider this strategy. Next time you head into what you know is an exasperating level, enter the game with all pre-level Boosters enabled. These are a separate type of power-up, which require activation before a level stars. Doing so allows you to start a level with a few Boosters already placed on the board waiting for you.

Pre-level Boosters don’t differ much from their in-level counterparts, as the options include Rocket, TNT and Light Ball. The distinction consists in the fact that the former are pre-made. You don’t have to worry about actively seeking out larger matches to create them. Instead the Boosters will just be waiting for you on the board. Easy peasy. Before you attempt that, however, make sure you’ve exhausted all other avenues of settling the matter yourself.

Our recommendation is to save up these pre-level Boosters for those really hard levels which you’ve tried again and again to solve, but to no avail. It’s easy to fall into a routine where you’re constantly relying on these power-ups to complete challenges, but this is not a good strategy for the long term. Once you’ve run out of Boosters, you’ll be left to your own devices once more, unless you agree to pay gold coins in exchange for a new batch.

The problem with this scenario is that collecting gold is a slow affair in Royal Match. Only occasionally will you be able to grab a total 100 coins from completing a puzzle, and Boosters usually require a lot more than that. For example, a bundle of 3x Rockets will take you back with 900 coins.

So how can you get your hands on free pre-level Boosters you might be wondering at this point, right? Well, you can win Booster bundles once you’re done with furnishing and decorating a room in the castle. But since this can take quite some time to complete, you won’t have access to a constant influx of free in-level Boosters. So to avoid spending unnecessary gold, hold on to these Boosters and employ them only during special occasions. Just don’t make a habit of using them constantly.

6. Use The Extra Power-Ups To Finish Up A Level

In Royal Match players get access to an additional type of power-ups. These tools are available in a menu located in the bottom of the screen and come in four flavors:

Royal Hammer: clears any object on the board;

Arrow: clears all the objects in a row;

Cannon: clears all the object in a column;

Jester hat: shuffles all the object on the board.

Tools can come in handy whenever you’re quite close to solving a puzzle, but you could use just a few more moves to do so. Don’t want to spend 900 coins on 5 additional ones? You could try using one of these power-ups instead, as they don’t waste any moves and are quite effective. Like with the other types of Boosters, the key is to use them in moderation so that you don’t run out of them too fast.

Players can get more of these tools by making progress in the game and unlocking chests filled with goodies.

7. Be Super Careful Not To Tap The ‘Play On’ Button Accidently

As we’ve already noted in the previous section, accumulating gold coins in Royal Match is a slow-slow affair and you’ll have to go through multiple stages to get a decent amount.

So the worse you could do is spend cash inadvertently. Every time you fail a level a small window asking you whether you’d like to continue the game in exchange for 900 coins will pop up. Be extra careful and avoid tapping on the green button in your haste to have another go at the pesky puzzle. Instead, take a deep breath and use the “x” to close the window and re-start the level.

Of course, if you feel like you’ve reached your limit and that you really need help, you can go ahead and use your hard won gold in exchange for 5 more moves. Just make absolutely sure that those 5 moves are all it takes to hit the level objective. Or else you’ll be spending your money in vain, and you don’t want that.

Using coins to get additional moves is the recommended way to use this currency. When it comes to Boosters, you should rely on the progress rewards as well as Special events to get access to more of them.

8. Join An Active Club

In Royal Match you have a total of five lives at the start of each day. Fail to complete a puzzle and you will have to relinquish one of them, and so on, until you’re left with none at all.

If that happens, players will be prompted to take a break from the game and wait until more lives get regenerated. Fortunately, if you join a club you can make sure that doesn’t happen all that often.

At the bottom of the screen find and tap on the Team section. Browse until you find a group that has a larger number of members. Press the Join button and then go ahead and inspect your new group. Make sure there’s enough going on in the chat room to indicate that the vast majority of users in this team are active. If there seems to be nothing going on, leave the group and look for another one until you find what you’re looking for.

It’s important to join an active Team because you’ll depend on others being around to answer your call for help when you need more lives. To avoid having to wait for a repsonse, it’s a good idea to just start sending out requests in your group before you run out of lives, thus making sure you always have some to spare.

9. Be Active During Events To Go Through Levels Quickly

Events happen all the time in Royal Match and when they do players get access to different sorts of goodies – mostly extra Boosters, and Unlimited lives.

For example, during Butler’s Gift users are challenged to beat levels on their first try to start the next puzzle with power-ups already on the board. Pretty neat, right? All you have to do is play the game like you normally would.

Whenever you’ve spotted an Event that is rich in Booster rewards make it a point to exploit it as much as possible until it expires. It’s a good idea to be more active during that period, so as to take advantage of the abundance of Boosters & free lives and finish off as many puzzles as possible.

On top of Events, you also get Cups. You get automatically enrolled in them for a chance to win prizes at the end of each session. Focus on winning levels so you can secure cups and complete with other players for more rewards. Cups usually stretch out over a number of days, so the prizes are not instantaneous. You shouldn’t worry about it, anyway, just enjoy the game and let the rewards flow in at their own pace.

10. How To Approach The Various Special Elements

“Special” elements are an integral part of any match 3 game. In Royal Match you’ll have to deal with plenty of them, and naturally each comes with its own unique properties.

Most of them do share one big thing in common, though. They are all impacted by the act of matching next to them. So whenever you see a special element on the board, you can have it removed (or at least part of it) by matching in its vicinity.

Some elements (like Vases or double-sealed Crates) need two matches to disappear completely from the board, while for others (think Eggs or Grass) it only takes a single one. Additional elements like the Cupboard contain a large number of plates inside and so they require even a larger number of matches to be destroyed.

The same goes for the Boxes of Potion which include four different bottles each with a differently-colored liquid inside. These are color-coded elements, so to remove a red potion bottle, you’ll need to create a match of red tiles next to it. In total, it takes four different matches to completely get rid of it.

Another type of element you’ll encounter while playing Royal Match is the Mailbox. When players match next to them, Mailboxes produce Mail – which represents the item included in the level objective. Mailboxes are often blocked by other elements on the board, so you’ll need to make sure you remove these obstacles as soon as possible. Don’t put off this task for later, as you might risk running out of moves. You need to get to these elements as soon as possible and start pumping them for Mail, if you wish to be successful in beating the level.

Booster-use on these pieces is highly recommended. If you’ve made some, then go ahead and detonate them in order to remove a heftier number of tiles in one go. Don’t forget to create Booster combos, so you can enjoy the destructive effects that result from combining power-ups.

You’ll encounter many special elements in Royal Match, but the key to being successful while dealing with any special pieces is remembering a few basic rules.

First of all, whenever you find yourself face to face with special elements, you should go ahead and match in their vicinity, regardless of their shape and size. Sure, you should pay attention to their individual characteristics, but matching will always have a destructive effect on them, no matter what. The most complex levels include different types of these special pieces, so you’ll have to divide your attention between them, while making sure you don’t run out of those precious moves.

Also don’t forget that the more Boosters you have the better. Although you have to be careful and use them the right way. For example, don’t waste Rockets on rows or columns where there are no special elements you need to get rid of. Try and aim them at a portion of the board that’s actually occupied by pieces that are part of the level objective. In addition, if you could combine the Rocket with a more powerful power-up like the TNT barrel, for example, so as to greatly increase the effect of the former. The explosion will remove a total of three rows and columns of tiles in one go.

With this final piece of advice on our list, we conclude our Royal Match beginner’s guide. We hope the information inside has proved useful and allowed you to develop your puzzle-solving skills even further. Needless to say, if you know of any other worthwhile strategies we haven’t included in this guide, you’re invited to share your thoughts with us in the comment section below!