Every day
Three daily contracts
Harvest a crystal, win some levels, earn some stars. You get one reroll a day, and the rewards grow your planet.
In development Match-3 with world building
Pocket Planet
A match-3 puzzle game with a persistent world. Every crystal a player clears becomes energy for their own planet, which they name and which continues to evolve for as long as they play.
- Crystal families
- 6
- Board
- 7 × 8
- Launch planets
- 5
- Planet stages
- 6
- Lives timer
- None
- Release
- To be announced
Concept
Your planet grows as you play
In most puzzle games, progress ends with the level. In Pocket Planet it accumulates. Verdant crystals spread moss and grow trees; Tide crystals fill lakes and seas. As energy builds, the planet advances through six stages, from Dormant through Habitable to Ascended.
Harvesting Verdant crystals unlocks:
- Moss spreads
- First trees
DormantAwakeningHabitableFlourishingCivilisationAscended
Creatures
Creatures
When a planet meets the right conditions, a creature arrives and joins the player's collection. The Glowmoth is implemented in the current build; further creatures are designed and in production.
- GlowmothDrawn to moss beside still water.Appears with: moss and a lake
- BubblefinLives where lakes become seas.Appears with: shallow seas
- AshhopperHops between warm vents.Appears with: steam vents and a volcano
- KitefoxChases clouds over flower fields.Appears with: cloud rings and flowers
Every week
Weekly missions
Three larger objectives each week, rewarding regular play over longer sessions.
A kind streak
Forgiving streaks
Completing a daily contract extends a player's streak. One missed day is forgiven, and the allowance renews every seven days.
The map
Planets open with stars
Levels award up to three stars based on moves remaining. New planets unlock as players reach star thresholds.
Specials
Pulse, Nova, Bloom and Comet
Four in a line makes a Pulse that clears its row or column. A T or L makes a Bloom (3 × 3). Five makes a Nova that takes every crystal of one kind. Six or more makes a Comet, which clears a row and a column.
Player-first
Fair failure
No engineered near-misses. Replays are free, and an optional +3 moves is offered once per attempt.
Quality process
How levels are tested
Pocket Planet uses the studio's standard content pipeline, with additional automated quality gates.
The first levels are drawn by hand
We lay out the opening levels of each game ourselves. In Gumdrop Galaxy that's a 9 by 9 grid where we place the jelly, chocolate, cages and cherries, so that each level introduces one new idea.
Development progress
Where it's up to
Progress against the production plan. Completed workstreams are marked.
Puzzle engine (done)
Matching, specials, blockers and cascades in a deterministic engine covered by automated tests and golden replays.
Game client (done)
Touch controls, rendering, animation and settings, running on Android.
Planet progression (done)
The planet grows from harvested energy, with milestones, six stages and the first creature, the Glowmoth.
Level pipeline (done)
Generator, validator, bot simulator and quality gate. Levels ship as checked packs.
Retention systems (done)
Star ratings, daily contracts, weekly missions, streaks and the campaign map.
Backend services (to do)
Cloud saves and synchronisation across devices.
Store (to do)
Convenience and cosmetic items only. All content can be completed without payment.
Closed testing and launch (to do)
Player testing to calibrate difficulty, then release with five launch planets.
Questions
Questions
Pocket Planet's privacy policy and terms of use will be published here before external testing begins.
When will Pocket Planet be released?
A release date has not yet been announced. Updates will be published in the studio milestones on our website.
Will it have lives or energy?
No. Pocket Planet has no lives system. Failed levels can be replayed immediately at no cost, and players may choose to add three moves once per attempt.
Will it be free to play?
Yes. Any purchases will be for convenience or cosmetics only, and every planet can be completed without paying. Elemental essences can only be earned through play.
Can I take part in testing?
Closed testing will open later in development. Register your interest and we will contact you when places are available.