Hex Merge

Hex Merge is a merging puzzle built on a nineteen-cell hexagonal board rendered in 3D, with a three-slot tray of small hex towers along the bottom edge. Every move is a drag: lift a tower out of a slot, hover it over an empty cell until the ghost preview snaps, and release. What happens next depends entirely on what you dropped, and learning that distinction is most of the game.

A pure single-color tower behaves like a magnet — every adjacent cell showing that color on top rolls its matching run across and joins the pile. A mixed tower does the opposite: its top layer rolls out to a matching neighbor, uncovering whatever color was buried underneath, which can then trigger another transfer. Once that settles, the whole board is swept for any remaining same-color neighbors, so a well-chosen cell can set off a long chain. Any cell reaching ten identical hexes pops in a confetti burst and is worth ten toward the level target.

Every level pairs a collection goal with a finite supply of pieces, and the Moves counter shows exactly how many drops you have left. The tray only restocks once all three slots are empty, so you never get to cherry-pick one piece and hold out for something better. Across 200 levels the palette widens from two colors to six, multi-color stacks and pre-seeded towers arrive, and every fifth level is flagged HARD. A level takes a minute or two, and the game remembers where you stopped.

How to play Hex Merge

Every move is a single drag from the tray to the board. Reach the level's collection target before you run out of pieces or fill the board.

1. Press and hold one of the three tray slots — the tower lifts above your finger or cursor.
2. Drag it over the honeycomb; the nearest empty cell highlights as a ghost preview.
3. Release to drop it there. Releasing over an occupied cell or off the board simply returns the piece to its slot with nothing lost.
4. Watch the merge resolve: a single-color drop pulls matching neighbors in, a mixed drop pushes its own top layer out and exposes the next color.
5. Build any one cell to ten identical hexes — it pops with confetti, clears the cell and adds ten to the target counter.
6. Empty all three tray slots to trigger the next batch of pieces; the Moves counter tracks how many drops remain in total.
7. Reach the target number before the queue empties or the board fills to complete the level and move on.

Tips and strategy

• Save a pure single-color tower for a cell that already has matching neighbors — dropped there it acts as a magnet and can collect several towers in one move.
• With a mixed tower, only its TOP color decides where it should go; the colors underneath are your follow-up, not your opening plan.
• Keep at least one cell open at all times. A completely full board is an immediate loss even when you still have pieces waiting in the queue.
• You cannot skip a piece, so look at all three slots before committing the first one — the refill only arrives once every slot is empty.
• Placements count toward the goal too, not just pops, so a stubborn level can still be finished on drops alone if a ten-stack refuses to come together.
• Every fifth level carries a HARD badge and a tighter goal; those usually need a board-wide chain rather than a couple of local merges.

Features

• 200 levels on a 19-cell hexagonal board, each with its own collection target and a finite piece queue.
• Two merge behaviors from one action: single-color towers absorb their neighbors, mixed towers donate their top layer.
• A board-wide chain sweep after every drop, so one placement can cascade across several cells at once.
• Cells that reach ten identical hexes pop with a confetti burst and count ten toward the goal.
• A HARD-flagged level every fifth stage as a deliberate difficulty checkpoint.
• Today's Challenge: a date-seeded level that is the same for everyone that day, with a streak counter that resets if you skip a day.
• Level progress and best collection score are kept in your browser, and play continues offline after the first load.
• Drag control works identically with a finger or a mouse.

Frequently asked questions

What actually makes two cells merge?

Only the color sitting on top of each tower matters. Adjacent cells showing the same top color merge together, and buried colors come into play only once the layer above them has moved away.

How do I lose a level?

Two ways: the board fills up with no empty cell left to drop onto, or the tray and the queue both run dry before you reach the target.

Why didn't the tray give me a new piece?

The tray restocks in batches of three. All three slots have to be empty before the next batch arrives, so a single empty slot stays empty until you clear the others.

What is Today's Challenge?

A level seeded from the calendar date, so every player gets the same board on the same day. Completing it advances a streak counter, which resets if you miss a day.

Do I keep my place between sessions?

Yes. The level you reached is stored locally by your browser and the menu button drops you straight back into it. Clearing site data starts you again from level one.