Our friend and guru Match 3 player Kathy Lew (SynthpopAddict) wrote this guide for our game Spooky Dwellers. Enjoy!
General tips
-The opening screen has a gears button in the top right which if clicked upon will allow you to pick a custom cursor, toggle between fullscreen and windowed mode with choices of window size, and adjust the sound and music volume.
-At the very start of the game, a brief disclaimer popup appears, but don’t get too worried. Most of the graphic content is cartoon Halloween stuff. However, if you are frightened of images of realistic looking ghosts (these are in the wallpapers and minigames) or can’t stand the sight of any blood at all, this game won’t be for you. There are also some spiders and scorpions scattered in minigame scenes. I’m glad they toned down the scary/gory element which was a lot more apparent in the beta testing phase!
-When you are in a level, the Menu button at the top right has a treasure trove of assorted buttons which will allow you to customize the game to your liking at any time. Play around with them to find out how they work; it’s pretty self-explanatory. Thanks IKIGames for now including a choice to disable the showers of coins which appear on the playfield for larger matches or cascades, as I personally find them very distracting! Something else which may be useful to alter the speed at which the light travels on the playfield. Moving the slider further to the right slows the light down, potentially allowing you to clear a few pumpkins you might not have seen earlier.
-In level 1, the Menu button will not display the Terrace option, but once you get to level 2, the Terrace button will appear in the Menu. You can also get to the Terrace from the end level popup dialog after finishing any level once you’ve completed level 1. Finishing regular levels will include a handy text in the dialog notifying you when you’ve got enough gold to buy something for the Terrace.
-The Terrace is completely optional as you don’t get any extra benefit to your game for visiting or furnishing the Terrace. But it is a spooky Halloween-themed place to get you into the holiday mood.
Gameplay
-The main objective of most levels is to remove all the Spooky Dwellers by clearing out whatever obstacles are blocking the Talisman(s) of Light rays until the light forms a pathway leading to the Spooky Dwellers to scare them off. If there are colored squares (green, brown, or blue) you must also remove all of those to win. The squares require different amounts of matches to remove depending on the color.
-Every level has pumpkins in it which are optional to clear, but the more of them you smash by matching next to them, the better the trophy you’ll win. Want to pretend you’re a Halloween hoodlum? Smash all the pumpkins on the board for the gold pumpkin cup! If you’re going for trophies, make sure you don’t complete the required objective(s) first, otherwise the level will end.
-A small handful of levels have no Spooky Dwellers to evict and are simply “classic” M3 levels in which you only need to remove all the colored squares, but you can still smash pumpkins.
-Be warned that if you’re playing in limited moves or timed mode, you MUST have some moves or time remaining when the last Spooky Dweller is removed, because if you use your last move or the timer expires while the light is still moving, you’ll forfeit the level, even if your move would have otherwise let you win. I had mentioned this during beta testing, but was told it can’t be fixed.
-The collector’s edition isn’t just longer, but has new obstacles and Spooky Dwellers in the CE M3 levels which you won’t see at all in the standard version! You also get 20 levels total of 2 new minigame types which aren’t in the SE. I personally think this is an awesome idea for CE version content and wish more developers would incorporate this concept instead of simply adding more levels.
-The Help book in the top right of any M3 level is a great resource for explaining the assorted obstacles and gadgets to manipulate the light rays coming from the Talismans, as well as describing the powerups. If you have “Generate Powerups” enabled in the game, any match of 4 or more tiles will give you a free morphing powerup. Right-click to select the morph, then left-click to activate it.
Walkthrough for potentially lockable levels
Most of the levels are relatively simple to figure out and if you play with all the extra help enabled per the default settings, a pretty relaxing experience. If you want more challenge, try shutting off “generate powerups”, ignore the powerup stash at the top of the screen, and play in limited moves.
Walkthroughs are only given for levels in which doing things in the wrong order will render it impossible.
Level 24: Smash all the pumpkins on the edges (left, right and bottom sections) but try to leave the pumpkins around the arrow blocks alone for now so the arrow blocks can’t charge. Wait for the light to get rid of the Spooky Dweller in the top right corner. Now smash the pumpkins around the arrow blocks in the central section and slide the arrow blocks out of the way for the second Spooky Dweller.
Level 40:
1) While clearing out the pumpkins, avoid charging the up-arrow block because you want it to stay in place. Get all the pumpkins off the conveyor belt (gray stripe).
2) Slide the right-arrow block so it lands on the conveyor belt next to the up-arrow block.
3) Make a match involving the belt somewhere below the block on the belt so the conveyor moves it out of the Talisman of Light’s pathway.
4) Move the up-arrow block to get it out of the way.
Level 41:
1) Leave the arrow blocks with their associated pumpkins alone for now. Smash all the pumpkins on the outer perimeter of the playfield while clearing out the assorted colored squares on the bottom row.
2) After the outer perimeter is cleared, remove the pumpkins around the arrow block in the left center. Slide the arrow block up and wait for the light to get the Spooky Dweller in the top right corner.
3) Get rid of the pumpkins around the other arrow block and move it up so the other Talisman of Light can reach the second Spooky Dweller in the bottom left corner.
Level 43:
1) Focus on getting rid of the pumpkins since they’re blocking the pathways for the light. Don’t move any of the arrow blocks yet and try not to rotate the pink pipe.
2) Slide the arrow block in the 4th column from the left down. If you managed to not rotate the pink pipe in step 1, the light will get the Spooky Dweller in the top left center. If the pink pipe got spun out of alignment, match around the pink pipe until the light goes up.
3) Move the arrow block which is 3 spaces below the pink pipe out of the way.
4) Match around the pink pipe until the light goes down. This will light up the 2 dark Talismans of Light and zap the Spooky Dweller on the top right.
5) Move the arrow block obstructing the Talisman of Light in the center right to clear the last Spooky Dweller.
Level 47:
1) Remove the pumpkins on the far right column.
2) Clear the pumpkins on the far left column and the bottom row. Some of the pumpkins by the arrow blocks will probably get smashed too, but don’t move the arrow blocks.
3) Get rid of the remaining pumpkins by the arrow blocks.
4) Move the arrow blocks on the top row and the far left column; it doesn’t matter which one you move first, just make sure you move both of them so they’re out of the way.
5) After the Spooky Dweller on the bottom left corner goes away, move the up-arrow block in the bottom right.
Level 48:
1) Pick one of the arrow blocks (doesn’t matter which) and slide it so it goes next to one of the pumpkins in the bottom center column.
2) Working from the opposite side of the bottom center column – this avoids the arrow block – smash all the pumpkins in the bottom center column so the light zaps the Spooky Dweller below. Do NOT move the arrow block!
3) Now slide the other arrow block from the perimeter of the playfield so it goes next to the arrow block in the center.
4) The rest is pretty straightforward with clearing the remaining pumpkins so the light will get the other Spooky Dwellers in the corners. If you want the gold cup, it’s best to smash the pumpkins closest to the Dwellers and go backwards towards the Talismans of Light. Don’t forget to get rid of the pumpkins a little below the Talismans before freeing the light rays.
Level 49:
1) Don’t move the arrow blocks while clearing the pumpkins.
2) Let the light rays light up both the dark Talismans of Light on the bottom.
3) Now slide both arrow blocks out of the way and the light from the Talismans you illuminated in step 2 will get the Spooky Dwellers.
Level 69:
1) Move the up-arrow block so it goes underneath the left-arrow block and is on the conveyor belt.
2) Clear all the pumpkins.
3) Slide the down-arrow and left-arrow blocks out of the way. If the up-arrow block is still in the way, match somewhere on the left side of the conveyor belt to move it.
Level 80:
1) Slide the arrow block in the right half of the playfield down.
2) Remove all the pumpkins except the ones in the top left. You particularly want to leave the 3 pumpkins below the arrow block alone, and those pumpkins are probably blocking any matches by the pumpkins in the top left corner anyway.
3) Rotate the pink pipes on the right side so the light goes all the way up. The dark Talisman of Light in the top row will illuminate.
4) If spinning the pink pipes in step 3 didn’t get the light over to the 2 Spooky Dwellers in the middle too, spin the pipes again until the light goes to the left and drives both of them off.
5) Now you can get rid of the 3 pumpkins blocking the arrow block in the left half and finish smashing the other pumpkins in the top left.
6) Slide the arrow block down to zap the last Spooky Dweller.
Level 81:
1) Ignore the top row for now and remove the rest of the pumpkins. This leaves some colored squares and one pumpkin in the top row.
2) The light is being blocked by an arrow block on the bottom row. Move the arrow block up. This lights up the dark Talisman of Light in the bottom left corner.
3) Get the colored squares and arrow block in the far left column out of the way.
4) Clear the last pumpkin which is next to the Spooky Dweller in the top right corner and work backwards along the top row towards the left to clear out the colored squares.
5) Slide the arrow block out of the way of the light.
Level 82:
1) There are 2 columns which contain 3 arrow blocks each. Do not touch the highest blocks in the columns, but slide the middle blocks up. While you’re working on charging the blocks up, pumpkins will move along the conveyor belt. Make sure you smash all those pumpkins on the belt, because otherwise they may become impossible to reach later. The blocks will be on the conveyor belt when you’re finished with this step.
2) A Spooky Dweller gets zapped by a freed light ray.
3) Get rid of the pumpkin blocking the bottom block in each of the 2 columns and slide the blocks up. They will land on the conveyor belt with the other blocks you moved earlier.
4) Smash all the pumpkins in the bottom. Another Spooky Dweller gets zapped.
5) Get rid of the last few pumpkins in the top which are by the topmost arrow blocks. Slide both of the blocks to free the lights to get the last Spooky Dwellers.
Level 85:
1) Get both keys to the locks.
2) Slide the arrow block so it goes onto the conveyor belt.
3) Remove all the pumpkins.
4) Match over the pink square in the top left corner.
Level 89:
1) There are 2 arrow blocks on the top row. Move the one on the right down.
2) Move the right-arrow block in the center so it lands next to the block you moved in step 1.
3) Smash all the pumpkins.
4) Clear out all the colored squares on the edges of the playfield.
5) Slide the arrow block from the top left down.
6) Get the pink pipe at the top to direct the light to either the left or the right so one of the Spooky Dwellers is zapped.
7) Rotate the pink pipe so the light goes to the other side for the other Spooky Dweller.
Level 90:
1) Slide the down-arrow block down. This illuminates the dark Talisman of Light in the top right corner.
2) Remove the pumpkins.
3) Slide the up-arrow blocks out of the way.
4) Match over the pink square a little ways below the last Spooky Dweller.
CE Extra Levels
-New bedbug and worm Spooky Dwellers appear in some levels. You have to match next to them enough times until they vanish. The worms will randomly move around with every match you make next to them.
-Another new obstacle in some levels are the floor spikes. Toggle the lever(s) on the playfield to lower or raise the spikes.
Level 104:
1) Move the right-arrow block out of the light’s way.
2) Clear out the pumpkins on the left side so the dark Talisman of Light illuminates.
3) Remove the rest of the pumpkins.
4) Slide the left-arrow block out of the way.
5) Remove the colored squares.
Level 116:
1) The playfield is divided into 2 large sections by the long rectangular hole in the middle. Remove all the pumpkins and colored squares in the left section.
2) When the light goes up and across, remove the pumpkin and colored squares in the top row so the dark Talisman of Light in the top right corner illuminates.
3) Clear out the pumpkins and colored squares in the right.
4) Slide the arrow block.
Level 119:
1) There’s 3 keys on the top row. Get the one on the right to the lock below it in the same column. Important: if you lower the key to just the correct spot, the game will give you an option to put the key into the center lock. Don’t do it! This key needs to go to the lock on the bottom row.
2) Get the key which used to be the middle one of the 3 on the top row down to its lock.
3) Smash the 4 pumpkins in the bottom left corner so the Spooky Dweller there gets zapped by the light.
4) Get rid of the rest of the pumpkins.
5) Slide both the arrow blocks.
6) Move the last key to its lock.
Level 129: While this one may look like it became impossible after you slide the arrow block, it isn’t. Simply move the block on the conveyor belt by matching somewhere on the lower part of the belt so the light can keep going. I confess to missing this trick not once, not twice, but three times now! Yeah, I have “great M3 skills”…
Level 130: Unlike level 129, this one CAN be rendered impossible if you do things in the incorrect order.
1) Clear out the pumpkins on the right side so the dark Talisman of Light in the top right corner illuminates.
2) Remove the remaining pumpkins.
3) Move the arrow block from the left, then the arrow block from the top.
4) Match somewhere on the upper section of the conveyor belt to move the arrow block on the belt out of the way.
Level 132:
1) Clear the pumpkins in the bottom left corner and keep charging the cannon until it has fired 4 times so all the rocks are gone.
2) Remove all the pumpkins in the top half of the board.
3) Rotate the pink pipe so the light goes up. The higher one of the 2 Spooky Dwellers will be zapped.
4) Get rid of the rest of the pumpkins.
5) Slide all the arrow blocks up.
6) Spin the pink pipe so the light goes down.
Level 136:
1) Slide the right-arrow block so it goes onto the conveyor belt next to the left-arrow block.
2) Smash all the pumpkins.
3) The key on the left half of the board will have moved itself down while you were working on the pumpkins in step 2. Put the key into its lock.
4) If the arrow block on the conveyor belt hasn’t already moved itself up earlier, match on the top part of the belt so the arrow block is out of the way of the left-arrow block’s path.
5) Slide the left-arrow block.
6) Put the remaining key into its lock.
Level 142:
1) Remove the pumpkins on the far left so the Spooky Dweller on the bottom left corner is zapped.
2) Get rid of the rest of the pumpkins and colored squares.
3) Move both arrow blocks out of the way.
Level 145:
1) Clear the colored squares on the bottom row.
2) Move the up-arrow block up from the bottom row.
3) On the far right are 2 colored squares above the left-arrow block. Get rid of those 2 squares.
4) In the center column are 3 colored squares above the 2 arrow blocks. Clear the 3 colored squares.
5) Smash all the pumpkins.
6) Slide the right-arrow block in the center column, then the up-arrow block in the center column.
7) Slide the right-arrow block from the far left, and the left-arrow block from the far right.
8) Remove the remaining colored squares from the playfield.