How do I play Zodix?

The goal

Clear the sky. Swap two neighboring stars to line up three or more of a color, and clear 20 stars in each column before the clock runs out.

The sky

• The board is 8 by 8, with stars in six colors.
• Above every column, a queue shows the next three stars coming and how many that column still needs.
• Each column's stars arrive in a fixed order. What falls next depends only on how many stars that column has used, never on your other moves.

Matches

• Clear a line of three or more, or a 2 x 2 square, of one color.
• When falling stars make a new match, that is a cascade. Cascades pay double, then four times.
• Pause for a few seconds and a legal move is highlighted, the same one for every player.
• If the board ever has no legal move, it is rearranged the same way for everyone who reaches it.

Specials

Bigger matches leave a special behind. Swap two specials together for a combo.

Special	Made by	What it does
Comet	4 in a line	Clears its row or column
Moon	A 2 x 2 square	Hits its neighbors and 3 targets
Nebula	An L or a T	Blooms twice, 3 x 3
Sun	5 in a line	Clears a whole color

The sign stamp

Every special that fires charges the meter. Once the meter holds six charges, the next special stamps the season's constellation onto the board, for +500 plus the stars it clears. The constellation is set by the tournament's start date, so it is the same for everyone.

The clock

You have two minutes. Clearing the sky ends your game and submits your score automatically. Otherwise, your board is scored when time runs out.

There are no boosters, power-ups or extra time. Every player in the tournament gets the same sky, and every sky is checked by a solver, which must clear it in 20 moves or fewer before it is used. Every sky can be cleared. You can still strand a column through your own play, and that is the skill.

See How is Zodix scored?