Aqua Match Cheats and Tips

Aqua Match is a match-3 puzzle game from Playrix, the studio behind Gardenscapes, Homescapes and Fishdom. You solve colourful match-3 boards to earn coins, then spend those coins decorating aquariums and filling them with cute fish. Read on for our best Aqua Match cheats and tips.

It's an easy game to pick up and a relaxing one to keep coming back to, but the later levels get tougher and the obstacles start stacking up. The tips below will help you clear levels with fewer wasted moves and make the most of your coins, boosters and lives.

Check your goals before you make a move

Every match-3 level gives you one or more goals, and they're shown to you before the board starts. Take a second to read them. You might need to collect a certain number of pieces, clear a type of obstacle, or bring something down to the bottom of the board.

You also have a limited number of moves per level, so there's no room to play on autopilot. Knowing what the level is actually asking for means you can aim your matches at the goal instead of just clearing whatever's easiest.

Build bigger matches for power-ups

Matching three pieces clears them, while special combinations create power-ups. Four pieces in a square creates a Copter, five pieces in a row creates Lightning, and five or six pieces in an L or T shape creates a Bomb. These are far more efficient than basic three-matches, especially once obstacles start crowding the board.

When you have the choice, look for a bigger match or a useful power-up setup. One good Bomb, Copter or Lightning can usually do more for your move count than two or three small clears.

Combine your power-ups

Power-ups don't only work on their own. If you place two of them next to each other and swap them together, they combine for a much bigger effect and clear more of the board at once. This is one of the strongest things you can do in a single move.

On a tough level, it's often worth setting up a power-up combo rather than spending it straight away. A well-placed combo can clear a stubborn cluster of obstacles or knock out a chunk of a goal in one go.

Clear obstacles by matching next to them

As you progress, levels fill up with obstacles like Boxes, Sand, Ink, Columns, Shell Houses and Turtle Nests, with newer additions such as Tower and Blinds in the mix too. Most of these are cleared by making matches right next to them, or by catching them in the blast of a power-up or booster.

Some obstacles have multiple layers and need more than one hit, so don't expect everything to vanish in a single match. Get familiar with how each one behaves, and prioritise the ones that are blocking your path to the level goal rather than clearing them at random.

Save your boosters for the tricky levels

Boosters give you a head start or an extra option mid-level. Some bonuses let you begin a level with a power-up already on the board, while other boosters, such as Hammers, Cannons, Anchors and Propellers, can be used once you're playing.

Because they're a limited resource, it's worth holding your boosters back for levels that are really giving you trouble rather than burning them on ones you'd clear anyway. You can also earn boosters and other rewards through events, competitions and reward tracks such as Aqua Pass, so check what's available before you start a longer session.

Spend your coins on the aquarium

You earn coins for every level you beat, and those coins are what you spend on aquarium decoration tasks. Completing tasks adds decor and fish, and lets you open up new aquariums over time. Some tasks cost more coins than others, so you'll dip in and out of the puzzle side to fund the building side.

The aquariums are the heart of the game's progression, so there's always a reason to play one more level. Each fish gets its own aquarium, and you can revisit any you've already finished from the Aquariums menu.

Join a team for free lives

Aqua Match lets you form or join a Team, and teammates can send each other extra lives. You can also connect to Facebook to play alongside friends and help one another out. If you tend to run low on lives, being part of an active team is one of the easiest ways to keep playing without waiting.

Lives are limited, so a level you fail costs you one. Topping up from teammates, rather than sitting and waiting, keeps your sessions going on the harder stretches.

Make the most of events

Aqua Match runs a steady rotation of events and competitions on top of the main level path, including Sea Song, King’s Shell / Copter Heist, Aqua Pass and team events such as Team Quests. Aqua Pass is a seasonal reward track with a free tier open to everyone, plus a paid tier with extra rewards.

These events are where a lot of the free boosters and rewards come from, so it pays to check what's running before you settle into a session. Even just playing your normal levels usually pushes you along an event track and earns you something extra.

Finish a level in one sitting

If you leave the game partway through a level, or get interrupted by something like a phone call, the level can restart from the beginning. To avoid losing progress on a long or tricky board, try to start levels when you've got a clear few minutes to finish them.

You can play offline

You don't need Wi-Fi or a data connection for the core match-3 levels, which makes Aqua Match a good fit for commutes or anywhere your signal drops. You will need to be online for the competitive events and some other features, but the everyday puzzle-and-decorate loop works just fine offline.

Summary

That wraps up our Aqua Match cheats and tips. The short version: read the level goals first, build bigger matches and combine your power-ups, save boosters for the levels that need them, and lean on teams and events to keep your lives and rewards topped up. The rest is just enjoying the puzzles and watching your aquariums come to life.