How do you play Marble Chain?
A chain of marbles rolls along a winding track while the clay snail in the middle shoots more marbles into it. Make groups of three or more of one color to pop them, and clear the whole chain before the lead marble reaches the hole at the end.
A shot marble slips into the chain right in front of or behind the marble it hits. New marbles keep rolling out of the tunnel until the stage quota is out, and the stage is cleared once the track is empty.
How do chain reactions work?
- Popping: three or more touching marbles of one color pop together. Bigger groups score more.
- Pulling back: when a pop leaves a gap and the marbles on both sides share a color, the front part of the chain rolls back to close it.
- Chains: if that reunion makes another group of three, it pops too, and each step of the chain multiplies the points.
- Stopping: if the colors across the gap differ, the front part waits until the back part pushes into it.
- Game over: once the lead marble reaches the hole, the rest of the chain drains away and the game ends.
What do the special marbles do?
| Marble | When popped |
|---|---|
| Rewind (◀◀ mark) | The whole chain rolls backward for about two seconds. |
| Slow (clock mark) | The chain crawls at about a third of its speed for seven seconds. |
| Bomb (sparkle mark) | A bright flash pops every marble close by as well. |
Special marbles still have a color, so they trigger when they pop as part of a matching group.
How many stages are there?
Ten hand built tracks come in turn, and every stage adds speed while the colors grow from four to six. After stage 10 the tracks return with faster and longer chains.
The tracks are Big Loop, Whirlpool, Snake Road, Square Swirl, Waves, Twin Hooks, Petal Swirl, Tall Snake, Sawtooth and Twin Whirl. On the twin tracks two chains roll in at once.
Tips for a high score
- Pop near the hole first. Clearing the dangerous front buys you time.
- Match the colors across a gap. Equal colors on both sides pull the chain back and keep the combo going.
- Watch the next marble. The small marble on the snail's shell comes next, and swapping is always free.
- No match? Build pairs near the back. Each pair becomes a one shot pop later.
Every color has its own pattern (dots, stripes, sparkle, triangle, ring and plus), so you can tell them apart even if colors are hard to see. Your best score and furthest stage are saved in this browser so you can continue later.