HexaLau - Board match4 game you must try
I love simple 2d logic games with never-repeating gameplay, basically a kind of online games called board games. Collection of the best 2d logic board games of my opinion is presented within list of my favourite games, however, if I should name some, it would be definitely Tic Tac Toe, Chess, 2048 and Just Get 10. Every game is designed for a different play time so anytime I need I can choose a game according to my current mood and situation.
Personally I play all these games especially on my 5 years old low-cost Huawei P8 Lite (ALE-L21) smartphone via mobile / tablet gaming website PacoGames.com wich I run as Progressive Web App. This option give me opportunity to load the website faster and browse between games in fullscreen mode. Usually I play some quick game directly from my bed before sleeping (single man - you know...), which is great relax after a day of hard work, but sometimes, it goes "wrong"...
HexaLau - a game that took me nights
I play games of match3, match2 or match any number of elements of the same value together quite regularly and I am ready to spend significant playing time to complete them. However, Hexalau aka match4 logic board game is one level above all of the others. The day before yesterday I played 1 single game over an hour, ending at 2am, well, yesterday, equipped with experience from previous playing I played 1 game already over 2 hours. And I would play it longer, if I did not have some technical issues with my phone - God bless them - I could go sleep!
Hexalau is logic board game combining game design of popular 2048 game with more free way of joining elements known from older version of Just Get 10 game. Hexalau extends this for great graphics and well made game design allowing using points got from playing for a help in a form of removing 1 element from the game board.
The game is developed in Construct game engine by Vlad, playable for free right in a browser as well as via classic app available on Google Play.
Game design - how to play Hexalau
Player's goal is to group game elements of the same value together, while in a moment of reaching at least 4 connected boxes (from here match-4 game genre) of the same value, all these connected boxes are converted into one box of a value equal to four times of the box value. This box is created in a possition of lastly connected game element. Moving individual elements (player can move only 1 element per move) on the board i simple, just drop certain element from possition A to possition B - if there is a free route between possition A and B, the game logic finds it and animate move of the element. If there is not achieved connection of 4 elements of the same value by the move, the game logic generates 5 new elements on the board. Value of these elements which will be generated are visible at the top of the screen so a player can cover them into strategy of his moves. If there is less free spaces than 5 on the gameboard, number of newly created elements is reduced. The game ends once there is no free space on the board.
The best playing strategy
For reaching the highest scores in all games of 2048, Just Get 10 or Hexalau genre is to keep elements of the same value in a possition when by 1 move you can:
- reduce all the elements into 1 element (=> keep elements of the same value in groups of 3 - see example of elements of value 256 and 512)
- connect more elements (=> keep space between 2 elements of teh same value maximally 1 board unit - see example of elements with value 16 )
Next best practices:
- keep groups of elements of the same value on the sides of the game board. This technique allows to keep the largest area for moving elements from possition A to B on the game board.
- Before a move via which there is not possible to connect at least 4 elements of the same value each other, check elements which will be genearted after such move. These elements are displayed at the top of the screen and provide great advice what move to make - keep in mind statistics - try to boost the probability that certain group of elements will be cleared directly via a newly generated element randomly placed into a box in direct contact with a group of other 3 elements of the same value. This will clear a part of game board withou need of doing any move.
- If you doing a move which will collect group of gaming elements of the same value into 1 element of a higher value, connect the last element always from that side where it is most useful for next moves.
When it goes tough
Sometimes can happen that certain element will block you important route, box or progress in your games, for these cases Hexalau contain a "hack" which allow you to exchange points got by playing for removing a certain element from the game board. This can be done via a button with flash icon located at the bottom area of the game screen. Price of removing is displayed on the button and applies for removing 1 game element from the game board. The price grows with every next usage as well as growing score. Use it with care!