Watermelon Merge: Fruit Drop

The pitch

A juicy physics merge puzzle with its own twist: the rare Golden Seed. Drop cute fruits into a jar; two identical fruits merge into a bigger one, from cherry up to a giant watermelon. A Golden Seed merges with ANY fruit and upgrades it by one level, so you can rescue a crowded jar or build a huge chain. Fill the Fruit Album (every new fruit pays a reward), earn 12 achievements, complete daily quests and 7-day rewards, use Hammer, Upgrade and Shake boosters and unlock 5 skins. Chain merges for combo multipliers and compete on the leaderboard.

Controls & how it runs

Goal: merge fruits all the way up to the giant watermelon and set a high score. Move the finger or mouse left/right and release (click) to drop a fruit; on keyboard use Left/Right arrows (or A/D) and Space/Enter. Two identical fruits merge into the next bigger fruit. Chain merges quickly for combos. Don't let fruits stay above the dashed line, or the game is over. Boosters at the bottom: Hammer smashes a fruit, Upgrade turns a fruit into the next one, Shake shakes the jar.

Getting a run going takes exactly one press: Press start, up top, and the game boots inside this page — nothing downloads in the background and no form wants your details before the first jump. The cabinet is drawn for a flexible screen and listens to mouse, keyboard or touch, whichever the game prefers. It reshapes itself for tall and wide screens alike, so phone, tablet and desktop all get the full picture. Given a fullscreen button, use it — scores look better at full size, that's just science.

Pro tips for puzzle cabinets

• Count what's missing, not what's there. In matching and logic boards the empty spaces and absent pieces usually draw the shape of the solution for you.
• Solve the corner first. Constrained edges and locked pieces have the fewest options, which makes them the honest starting point of almost every board here.
• If you're stuck, change the order, not the plan. Many boards on this row are the same moves played in a different sequence — the lock was the order all along.

Watermelon Merge: Fruit Drop — quick-fire questions

Does Watermelon Merge: Fruit Drop cost anything to play?

Not a token. The cabinet is free from the first run to the five-hundredth — no wallet, no sign-up, no toll booth hiding three levels in. The adverts around the page are what keep the floor's lights on.

What sort of game is Watermelon Merge: Fruit Drop?

It stands on our Puzzle row — that's the family it plays most like. The pitch above is the publisher's own rundown of what it throws at you and what it hands back.

Can I play Watermelon Merge: Fruit Drop on my phone?

Happily, yes. It runs inside the browser on phones and tablets the same way it does on a computer. It reshapes itself for tall and wide screens alike, so phone, tablet and desktop all get the full picture.

Do I need to install anything first?

Nothing whatsoever. Watermelon Merge: Fruit Drop is an HTML5 game: hit the start button and it boots on this page, and shutting the tab sweeps the cabinet clean behind you.

Before you wander off

Personal best banked, or still chasing it? Either way the full Puzzle row is powered on and waiting — Boards, bubbles and blocked exits: 139 puzzle cabinets for players who like their pressure quiet and their solutions sudden. Think first, tap second, gloat third.