Rubin.io may sound like one of those many “-io” games that are takeoffs on the Snake games of the pre-smartphone era, but add a multiplayer mechanic and a board for real-life players to compete in. But it is, in fact, a Match 3 –ish game for iOS based on the Sega Genesis title Columns, where you have to swap gems in the bottom line to create a match of three identical gems of the same color, and match more columns to earn more points. And while this may sound too “vintage” in terms of Match 3 rules, there is a bit of a twist here – Zen mode is more of the traditional Match 3 mode, where you can take your time and match as many columns as you could to beat the high score. Marathon mode, on the other hand, comes with a time limit, and you’ll have to match gems in order to get more seconds added to your timer.
It may sound like pretty straightforward Match 3, and it may sound like a piece of cake. Now, if you want to succeed in either one of the game modes, you might need a little bit of help along the way. Check out these Rubin.io tips and tricks, which we’ve created to help you improve your high score, regardless of the mode.
1. Watch An Ad Video To Keep On Playing
Marathon mode is the game’s endless mode, and you can theoretically keep going and going if you make the right matches and get those seconds added to your timer. But if you run out of time, there is a way to continue playing. Hit the “Play On” button, and that’s going to launch an advertisement video. Wait for the video to wrap up – they usually take no more than 30 seconds – then return to the game with some additional time on the timer. Keep on watching videos (and do play with your Wi-Fi or cellular data on) and there’s a chance you could really rack up a high score and keep going longer than you thought was possible.
2. It’s All About The Ad Videos
If you’re trying to chase the high scores on Game Center, the key here is to do a marathon as well, this time watching as many ad videos as possible, as we illustrated above. As it seems, that’s what helped all of the top scorers get to where they are – just hitting Play On so they can turn Rubin.io into a true endless game. It may sound simplistic and it may sound tiring, but with a little patience, who knows? You just might join those high scorers on Game Center someday.
3. Keep Matching Gems In Marathon And Zen Mode
As we said a couple of times above, you can extend your available time in Marathon mode by making matches; string together several matches in a row and you won’t just get more time, but also more points. This also works in Zen mode, though the advantage in Zen mode is that you’ve got all the time in the world to study the board and see if you can string together an impressive combo to help you rack up your score.
4. How Does Zen Mode Work?
Zen mode is also an endless mode of sorts, but it isn’t traditionally endless like Marathon mode is. The difference here is that your goal would be to clear out as many gems as possible to keep on going. And once you’re all out of space on the board, that’s the end of your game. In a way, this mode is like Match 3 and Tetris combined, as matching removes columns, while your ultimate goal is not to run out of space.
5. What Happens When The White Squares Load Up Instead Of The Board?
Don’t panic if you start a new game and notice that the graphics aren’t loaded, and that all you see are a bunch of white squares on your screen. Just tap the white square located on the top right of your screen, so you can close the game and restart the game. Doing so will allow you to start a new game and get the correct colors. This appears to be a bug, and it stands to reason that we should be seeing an update soon to squash the bug and remove the inconvenience.