Basic Tips and Tricks

Tile Tales core mechanics do no need explanation, any person, including children can easily grasp the gameplay. However, there are certain operations that need to be broken down since the game will just give you certain hints that are just simple phrases or sentences.

Onward Always Forward - Always remember when linking the tiles that you cannot take a "step back". You can only link forward. Once you go left or right you are limited to the path available on that direction. Basically, you cannot zigzag on multiple lanes (since you have to take a direction away from the top), once you jump into a lane you cannot change directions until the next corner. You have to reach the lone tile on top of the diamond.

See the Sign, and Open Up Your Mind - Be wary of the mathematical "signs" as they change the flow of the calculation of the numbers. Always remember the order of operations / operator precedence (ER-MDAS, Exponents-Roots-Multiplication-Division-Addition-Subtraction). Whatever operation comes higher in that order should be applied first. For example, if the chain is,

There are three operations involved in this four-number link, one addition, one multiplication, and two subtraction. Tile Tales assign the addition / subtraction operations by giving out positive / numbers. In the given sample, how do you calculate it? The solution is below,

The number 10 here is a positive number because multiplying negative numbers will always equal to a positive number hence changing its operation from subtraction to addition.

Reach for the (Three) Stars - Not really. Chasing the three-star rating for each puzzle goes against the philosophy of the game. You want to be relaxed, not beating yourself over a rating. Besides, you only have to reach the minimum score to get a one-star rating for that particular level. A one-star rating is enough to unlock the next puzzle, and get the beautiful artwork that goes with the level (Check the gallery for the artwork).

The Others (Signs) - Aside from the usual operations, there are some "special" tiles that you should watch out for. They are usually within the realms of Mathematics, so you do not have to worry. One of them is the multiple operations tiles like *(-2) meaning multiplication by a negative number. See, that looks like trouble because you have to watch out for the current total of your current chain before hitting a multiplication operation with a negative number. This cuts both ways because you know that you can still change your fate when you have a large negative number in the link if there is this particular example ahead. Before I forget, most, if not always, the number to chase is a positive.

Cheating - There is a reason why I decided not to include a full blown guide on how to get past the puzzles, or get the three-star rating of each puzzle. It removes the motivation to play the game entirely. The tiles never change, for each puzzle, the numbers and their positions are always constant. You can study them out, or take a screenshot and just add/subtract/multiply divide them on a calculator and you would get the desired outcome. So, if you want a three-star rating, I won't give it to you, at least do it yourself by taking out the game in the game and cheat away.