HOW TO PLAY
- Basics
- Monsters
- Scoring
- Power-ups
- Daily Challenge
- Quests & Trials
- Modes
- Skins & themes
- Coins & shop
- Tips
- Credits
1. The basics
Merglings is played on a 4×4 board. Swipe in any of the four directions and every monster slides as far as it can that way. When two monsters of the same stage bump into each other, they merge into a single monster of the next stage.
- After every move, a new monster appears in a random empty cell: usually an Eggu (stage 1), sometimes a Bloop (stage 2).
- A monster can only merge once per move. A row of four Eggus swiped left becomes two Bloops, not one Puffle.
- Merges resolve from the leading edge backwards, exactly as in classic 2048.
- You win the first time a Goldraco (stage 11, value 2048) appears. The run continues afterwards so you can chase a higher score.
- The run is over when the board is full and no swipe would change anything. Your score, coins and any monsters you reached are saved.
2. The eleven monsters
Every stage is its own species. Reaching a monster for the first time adds it to your Bestiary permanently. Tile values double at each stage.
| Stage | Value | Monster | Species |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Eggu | Egg Pup, a hatchling still in its shell |
| 2 | 4 | Bloop | Slime, a happy blob with pink cheeks |
| 3 | 8 | Puffle | Cloud Puff, fluffy with a star sparkle |
| 4 | 16 | Sprig | Leaf Sprout, a plant creature with a leaf head |
| 5 | 32 | Zappy | Static Cub, an electric cat with bat ears |
| 6 | 64 | Frostle | Ice Pup, a frosty cub with icy ears |
| 7 | 128 | Ember | Flame Imp, wreathed in fire |
| 8 | 256 | Mystic | Arcane Cat, a magical cat with sharp ears |
| 9 | 512 | Coralin | Sea Sprite, coral with pink antennae |
| 10 | 1024 | Stryx | Storm Wing, a storm bird with broad wings |
| 11 | 2048 | Goldraco | Sun Dragon, the legendary endgame trophy |
3. Scoring
Every merge adds the value of the new monster to your score: merging two Puffles (8) into a Sprig (16) scores 16. Your Best score is kept across runs and, if you are signed in to Game Center, submitted to the global and weekly leaderboards. At the end of each run you also earn coins based on your score.
4. Power-ups
Power-ups live in the HUD above the board. Tap one, then tap the tile(s) it should affect. They are bought with coins in the Shop and some are also earned from quests and daily rewards.
| Power-up | Effect | Shop price |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze | Locks a tile in place for 3 moves. Other tiles slide around it. | 80 coins |
| Bomb | Removes one tile from the board. | 120 coins |
| Swap | Swaps the positions of any two tiles. | 100 coins |
| Undo | Takes back your last move. Uses one undo charge. | 60 coins for 5 charges |
| Magnet | Merges a tile with its nearest twin. Unlocked by the "Tactician" quest. | 150 coins |
Some quests and trials (for example "Iron Resolve" and "Flawless Ascent") require a run with no undo. Using Undo during such a run simply means that run does not count.
5. Daily Challenge and streaks
Every day brings one Daily Challenge with a specific goal, such as reaching a certain monster, hitting a score target, or finishing a run without power-ups. Goals rotate through a catalog so no two days in a row feel the same.
- The challenge resets at midnight, local time.
- Completing it grants a coin reward that scales with the goal's difficulty and extends your streak. Miss a day and the streak resets.
- A separate seven-day check-in track gives a reward for each day you open the game and claim it, and a special seven-day star when you complete all seven.
- Streak quests ("Consistent", "Week Streak", "Devotee") reward 3-, 7- and 30-day streaks.
6. Quests, Trials and Trainer Rank
The Quests tab tracks long-term goals in seven categories: merges, high scores, evolution, discovery, power-ups, daily play and scenarios. Each completed quest awards points and a reward (coins, or a feature unlock).
Trials are scenario runs with special starting boards and constraints, for example "Sprint" (reach stage 7 in 40 moves or fewer) or "Frozen Start" (reach stage 6 from a jammed board). Trials unlock the game's extra modes.
Your Trainer Rank rises by one for every 50 quest points you collect. It is shown on the Quests screen and is a good measure of how much of the game you have mastered.
7. Game modes
| Mode | What changes | How to unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Classic | The standard 4×4 board. Available from the start. | Included |
| Daily Challenge | One goal per day, streaks and rewards. | Included |
| Time Attack | Race the clock for the highest score before time runs out. | Quest "Flawless Ascent" (reach stage 11 with no undo) |
| 5×5 Board | Twenty-five cells for longer, deeper runs. | Trial "Ascension" (reach stage 9 in 120 moves or fewer) |
| Magnet power-up | Adds a fourth power-up slot to the HUD. | Quest "Tactician" (use 25 power-ups) |
| Theme packs | Alternative board backgrounds: Sunset, Forest and Mono. | Quest "Devotee" (30-day streak) or trial "Marathon" (score 5,000 in 150 moves or fewer) |
8. Skins and themes
Skins restyle all eleven monsters at once. Recolor skins keep the classic characters and give them a new palette and glow. Species skins replace the whole roster with new creatures that have their own growth story, such as caterpillars that gain a body segment per merge or cakes that stack taller. Skins are bought with coins in the Shop and equipped from the Skins screen; the Classic skin is always free. Themes change the board's background colours and are unlocked through trials.
9. Coins and the shop
Coins are the in-game currency. You earn them from every finished run (roughly one coin per 100 points), from quests and trials, from the Daily Challenge and from the seven-day check-in track. They are spent on power-ups and skins.
If you want more coins faster, three optional bundles are available as In-App Purchases through Apple. Prices are shown in your local currency in the Shop:
| Bundle | Coins | Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Starter Pack | 500 | +50 |
| Chest of Gold | 2,500 | +500 |
| Dragon Hoard | 12,000 | +3,000 |
Coins have no real-world value and exist only inside Merglings. Purchases are optional, processed by Apple, and covered by the Terms of Use. There are no ads and no subscriptions.
10. Tips from the trainers
- Pick a corner. Keep your biggest monster in one corner and build a descending chain along an edge.
- Two directions are your friends. Most moves should be in just two directions (say, down and left). Use the third only when you must, and the fourth almost never.
- Do not chase every merge. An early Bloop in the wrong place can cost you the corner. Patience beats greed.
- Freeze before you gamble. If a risky swipe is unavoidable, Freeze your anchor tile first.
- Save the Bomb for the lone stray Eggu blocking your big merge, not for panic.
- Try the demo on the home page to practise in your browser.
11. Credits and licenses
| Item | Credit |
|---|---|
| Game design, code and pixel art | Geesoft |
| Original 2048 mechanic | Gabriele Cirulli, MIT License |
| Press Start 2P font | CodeMan38, SIL Open Font License 1.1 |
| VT323 font | Peter Hull, SIL Open Font License 1.1 |
| 8-bit music and sound effects | Procedurally generated for Merglings |
Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, Game Center and App Store are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.