In many puzzle games, you simply match three colors together, the gems fall, and massive combos may or may not happen. In these games, you're locked into the level that the game provides you; that is, if you don't see a combo on the screen, then you won't be able to create one. It's more of a hide-and-seek gem game than anything else.
Spirits of Metropolis is a game that shifts this perspective: once you create a combo (called "chains" in the game), the level won't react immediately. Instead, the user is in control of when the chains start to occur...allowing you to build multiple chains in a single turn. It's not uncommon to get massive chains with some good strategies! From there, you change any gem to the color that's currently in your "Current" inventory.
You can watch some videos (coming soon) and get some perspective on how the game is played in the Media section. But one of the major features of Spirits of Metropolis is that it has ten different gameplay modes, each changing the way the game is played. Here's a few you'll find in the full version:
This is the standard mode of Spirits of Metropolis. It's just you and your wits against the clock as you match gems to create massive chains! Harder difficulty levels include a larger ratio of black gems (which cannot be chained and are considered "garbage") and a smaller ratio of MultiColor gems (which allow the user to select any color gem they want to place in the level).
In this mode, a random color is picked by the game. This color is then "locked" on the board, preventing the user from changing it. It's up to you to create chains that will link the gems inside these color bars for extra points. Harder difficulty levels include having black gems potentially locked in the level, as well as requiring the user to clear off all the locked gems in the level, or it's game over!
The objective here is to create chain explosions within the patterns on the board. It's not about points or multipliers this time, but the strategy of twisting and turning chains in the level to try and clear the board of all the patterns. Harder difficulty levels include clearing all the patterns in the level with just one chain...not exactly an easy thing to do when you've got a timer ticking away!
It's time to lower your heartbeat a bit, relax, and use the ol' noodle in Endurance. There is no time limit whatsoever in this mode. Instead, the user is given a limited number of gems to work with to try and create chains. Achieving these chains earns you more gems to use in the level...but run out of gems before meeting the target score, and it's game over. Harder difficulty levels include not being able to earn any moves at all...leaving you with nothing but your strategic abilities to try and beat the level.
Puzzle Mode features over fifty levels as you try to clear a level using a select number of gems. There's no random element to this mode; each level has been carefully crafted with a single (and sometimes multiple) solution, and it's up to you to try and twist your brain to solve it. Once you have the gameplay down, you can go into the Puzzle Editor to create your own crafty puzzles, or download other puzzles made by users. There will even be official puzzles created by Vertigo Games every month for free!