Tidal Mosaic: Hidden Bloom

About Tidal Mosaic: Hidden Bloom

Long ago a sea covered this desert. Now an observatory stands on its dry floor, with a great stone meridian arc stepped into the hill and a court paved in glazed mosaic. The tesserae come in six glazes and six cuts: a turquoise roundel, a lapis triangle, a coral square, a saffron lozenge, a malachite hexagon and an amethyst eight-pointed star, each with a crackled glaze and a gilded edge.

Here a combo is a relay. A cascade scores more only while the glaze keeps changing: turquoise, then coral, then lapis. The same glaze twice in a row starts the relay again, so the best moves set up clears that take turns. A relay of three glazes in one move sends the mirage tide, a wave of shimmering water, across the court.

Fossil shells sleep in the sand under some tesserae, more of them in the lower rows as the tide goes out. Clear above one and the ammonite shows; clear over it again and it cracks open into a sea rose of coral. Each rose raises a mirage of the old sea at the horizon. The last one brings the whole sea back over the dunes, and fish of light swim through the afternoon sky.

The panels are laid out like old mosaic floors: an eight-pointed star, four fountains, the arch of a niche, a rhombus, a basin and two pools. The music is a dance in seven beats on a hammered dulcimer and a goblet drum, with a reed flute and water chimes as the sea returns. Every panel can be won: it is built together with a player that solves it first, and a hint is one press away. Settings offers more moves or no limit, and a switch for the heat shimmer and the mirages. Stars and best scores stay in this browser and nothing is uploaded.

How to play

Drag a tessera toward a neighbour, or tap one and then the next. Arrow keys and Enter or Space work too.
Line up three or more of a glaze to clear them. In a cascade, each clear of a different glaze from the one before grows the relay and scores more.
Clear over a fossil to show it, then over it again to open the sea rose. Open every sea rose to win the panel.
Three glazes in turn in one move send the mirage tide across the court.
Press H or the Hint button for a move that works. Press P, Escape or Start to pause.

Controls

Drag a tile, or tap two tiles — swap
Arrow keys or WASD, then Enter or Space — swap
H or Ⓨ — hint
P, Escape or Start — pause

Frequently asked questions

How does the relay work?

Within one move, each clear of a glaze different from the clear before it adds to the relay, and the relay multiplies the points. Clearing the same glaze twice in a row starts it again from one.

What is the mirage tide?

When one move reaches a relay of three glazes or more, a wave of shimmering water sweeps across the court. The first one earns the Mirage badge.

Where are the fossils?

Under some tesserae, marked by a small spiral in the corner of the cell. More of them sleep in the lower rows on the later panels. Clear above a fossil twice to open its sea rose.

Does it save my progress?

Your stars, best scores and badges are saved in this browser only, and nothing is uploaded.