Animal Link

Goal

The board is packed with animal and fruit tiles, and every picture appears an even number of times. Pick 2 identical tiles: if they can be joined by a path made of at most 3 straight lines (no more than 2 turns) that does not pass through any other tile, both disappear. The path may loop around the empty frame outside the board. Clear every tile before the time bar runs out to finish the level.

There are 9 levels that get harder: in level 1 the tiles stay still; from level 2 on, after every pair you remove, the tiles slide in one direction (down, up, left, right, toward the middle, out to the sides…), and there are more kinds of pictures. The slide direction is shown when the level starts.

Controls

• Computer: click the first tile, then the second. Click a selected tile again to deselect it. You can also move a cursor with the arrow keys, press Enter or Space to select, H for a hint, S to shuffle, and P or Esc to pause.
• Phone: tap two matching tiles. In portrait the board turns into 9 columns × 16 rows so tiles stay big enough for your finger. The 💡 Hint, 🔀 Shuffle, ⏸ Pause and 🔊 Sound buttons sit right above the board.

Score and helpers

• Each pair gives 10 points. Finishing a level adds 10 points for every second left on the clock.
• Each level gives you 3 Hints (highlight a pair that can be linked) and 2 Shuffles (mix up all tiles on the board).
• If no pair can be linked anymore, the game shuffles the board automatically for free, so you can never get stuck.
• While paused the board is covered and the clock stops. Your highest level is remembered so you can continue later.

Tips

• Clear tiles along the edges first — they link easily around the outside and open paths for the inner tiles.
• On sliding levels, think about which tiles will move into the gap so you do not block yourself.
• Save your hints for the end of a level, when time is short and the board is sparse.