Magma Mobile’s new Android game Slide3 Patrick promises to be a Match 3 game with a twist. So many games have claimed to be such, and to be fair, most have delivered, but Slide3 Patrick does come more than a few things that make it more interesting than your average title in the genre. Like others, the puzzles get harder as you go on, but in here, you’ll be making matches of three pieces (all Irish-themed, hence the game’s title) in a totally different way. There are more than 200 levels for you to complete, and as Magma stresses a few times in the description, this title is absolutely free to play.
Considering the different quirks of Match 3 gaming that separate each game from each other, we’ve decided to give you a list of Slide3 Patrick tips and tricks that could help you complete more levels, and complete them with a perfect three stars.
1. Everything Slides
You may have been curious about the big twist in Slide3 Patrick that isn’t present in other Match 3 games, or at least most others. Well, instead of swapping pieces by moving one piece to replace another should there be a match present, you’ll be sliding rows and columns in such a way that you form matches of three pieces or more. Once you get used to it, there will be nothing to it – finding those Match 3 combinations should be a snap. What you may have to look out for, however, is the hyper-sensitivity of the controls. Sometimes you might end up making a match you completely did not intend to make, so be careful!
2. Pay Attention To The Level’s Goals
Sometimes, you may be asked to “collect” a certain number of items, say, shamrocks or horseshoes, for instance. Other times, you may need to destroy all the pieces with prison bars on them, or with pink backgrounds. (Rows and columns with the pieces seemingly trapped in prison bars cannot be moved normally, so that’s a bonus tip for you.) Whatever the goal of the level is, make matches with that goal in mind. It’s a common-sense tip, but one that can help anyone achieve that elusive three-star rating more consistently.
3. Focus On Making Matches Of More Than Three Pieces
This is another fairly common tip in the world of Match 3 gaming, but it’s always better if you match four pieces or more, instead of a mere three of them. Depending on the special piece you create and where you make a match with it, you can take out an entire row or column, you can destroy all pieces in a certain area of the board, or you can even wipe out the entire board! Since you only have a limited number of moves per level, it’s best to go big or go home – bigger matches are always better.
4. Know Your Power-Ups
At the bottom of the board, you’ll see a list of power-ups you can use when solving puzzles. Instead of listing them from left to right, we’ll list them in order of value, meaning we start with the one that can help you the most.
For starters, you’ll see a bomb on the leftmost side, or the Multi-Bombs power-up, that allows you to create bomb pieces without having to make the necessary matches. This is arguably the most useful of the five available power-ups. There’s also a power-up (second from right) that allows you to reshuffle the board if you can’t make any more plausible matches. The lightning bolt (in the middle) lets you switch any two pieces on the board for free. Then you’ve got the second power-up from the left, which lets you tap on any item to remove it, and the one on the extreme right, that lets you swap any item for a bomb. We wager you wouldn’t be using those last two power-ups very often, if at all.
5. Save Your Power-Ups For When You Really Need Them
Regardless of the power-up, we would advise you to save them for occasions when you truly need them. Power-ups cost gold to purchase in the in-app store, and while they’re the only useful things you can spend your gold on, you may also want to be prudent when spending your gold.
6. Take Your Time
Last, but not the least, here’s another rule that applies to most Match 3 titles as well. It’s very important that you take your time in this game, as there is no time limit. Study the board before you try to solve it, and think before making a match, and you’ll be completing levels with three stars on most occasions. And if you don’t make three stars the first time, you always have the option to replay that level and give it another go.
These would be for now our tips and tricks for Magma Mobile’s exciting Match 3 game, Slide3 Patrick. We will update this guide, whenever we discover more hints, so don’t forget to check back!