Evil Crush - How to Play

Quick Start Guide

1. Objective: Match 3 or more identical "evil icons" (candies) in a line, either horizontally or vertically.
2. How to Play: Click on an icon, then click on an adjacent (up, down, left, or right) icon to swap them.
3. Scoring: You earn 10 points for each icon cleared in a match.
4. Moves: You start with 100 moves. Each swap costs one move.
5. Goal: Achieve the highest score possible before you run out of moves or valid plays!

View Detailed Guide →

Detailed User Guide

Welcome to Evil Crush! This guide will walk you through all the features of the game.

The Game Board

Evil Crush is played on an 8x8 grid filled with various types of "evil icons" or game pieces. There are 6 different types of icons, each with a unique image and color:

• Icon 1 (Brownish: )
• Icon 2 (Light Beige: )
• Icon 3 (Dark Green: )
• Icon 4 (Peachy: )
• Icon 5 (Light Grey: )
• Icon 6 (Darkest Green: )

Making a Move

1. Select an Icon: Click on any icon on the board. It will be highlighted to show it's selected.
2. Swap with an Adjacent Icon: Click on an icon directly next to your selected icon (horizontally or vertically).
   • If the swap creates a match of 3 or more identical icons, the matched icons will disappear.
   • New icons will fall from the top to fill the empty spaces. This can sometimes create chain reactions or "cascades"!
   • If the swap does not result in a match, the icons will swap back to their original positions, and you won't lose a move (Correction: In the actual game, a move IS consumed even if no match occurs).
   • Correction: Each swap attempt, successful or not, consumes one move.

Scoring

You earn points for every icon you clear:

• Each icon cleared in a match is worth 10 points.
• Longer matches (e.g., 4 or 5 icons in a row) clear more icons and thus give more points.
• Cascades can lead to high scores quickly as multiple matches occur from a single move.

Moves

• You begin the game with 100 moves.
• Each time you attempt to swap two icons, one move is deducted.
• The game ends when you run out of moves (moves reach 0).

Game Controls

Several buttons are available to help you manage your game:

• New Game Button: Click this at any time to reset the board and start a fresh game with a full 100 moves and 0 score.
• Hint Button: If you're stuck, click this button. The game will briefly highlight two icons that can be swapped to make a match. Use hints wisely!
• Save High Scores Button: After achieving a score, or at any time, you can click this button. It will open a new browser tab with a special URL. This URL contains your current high scores list, encrypted. You can bookmark this URL or share it to save/transfer your high scores.

Game Over

The game ends under two conditions:

• You run out of moves (your "Moves" counter reaches 0).
• There are no more possible valid moves on the board. The game will automatically detect this.

When the game is over:

• A "Game Over!" message will appear, showing your final score.
• If your score is high enough to make it onto the high score list (top 5), you'll be prompted to enter your name.
• You can then choose to "Play Again" to start a new game.
• If you achieve a new high score, celebratory fireworks (using game icons) will appear on screen! The type of icon in the fireworks depends on your rank (1st, 2nd, etc.).

High Scores

Evil Crush features a high score leaderboard:

• The game displays the top 5 high scores.
• When you finish a game, if your score is high enough, you can enter your name to be added to the list.
• Loading Scores: If you open the game with a special URL (e.g., one generated by the "Save High Scores" button), the high scores embedded in that URL will be loaded into your game. A message "High Scores Loaded!" will confirm this.
• Saving Scores:
  • High scores are automatically saved in your browser's local storage.
  • To share or back up your scores, use the "Save High Scores" button. This generates a unique URL. Copy and save this URL. Opening this URL in any browser with the game will load those scores.

Tips & Tricks

• Look for larger matches: Matching 4 or 5 icons at once clears more icons and scores more points.
• Think ahead: Try to anticipate how icons will fall and set up chain reactions (cascades).
• Work from the bottom: Making matches near the bottom of the board can cause more icons to shift, increasing the chances of cascades.
• Use Hints Sparingly: The Hint button is useful, but try to find moves on your own first to develop your skills.
• Manage Your Moves: Keep an eye on your remaining moves. Sometimes a smaller, certain match is better than risking a move for a larger, uncertain one if you're running low.

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