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SUPER CHARGE
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CHARGE
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Cascade

Drop, merge, cascade.
Drop orbs. Matching numbers merge into the next. Don't let an orb sit above the danger line.
Tap ◀ ▶ to aim and ▼ to drop, or drag and lift.
Mouse
Hover a column
Click / Space
Drop
A D / ← →
Move column
Press any key or click to begin
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About this game ↓

Cascade

Drop, merge, cascade.

Cascade is a calm, planning merge puzzle on a six by six grid. Each orb you drop falls straight down its column. When orbs with the same number touch, up, down, left or right, they merge into the next one, and the new orb can touch another of its own kind and merge again: that chain is the cascade. It has two modes. Classic is exactly 100 drops, so every run is scored against the same budget. Rising has no drop limit: every few drops a new row pushes the whole board up from below, faster as the run goes on, and a merge that reaches high on the board scores more, so letting it climb is a risk that pays. Seven tiers stand between a Quark and the Nexus. Gold orbs fill Supercharge, which doubles chain scores for five drops. The rows above the danger line are borrowed space: leave an orb there for five seconds and the run ends.

How to play

  1. Choose a mode. Classic gives you 100 drops for a score. Rising has no limit: a new row pushes up from the bottom every few drops, and you play until the board overflows.
  2. Pick a column and drop. The orb falls straight to the lowest open cell.
  3. Orbs with the same number that touch, up, down, left or right, merge into the next number.
  4. A merge can land next to another match and merge again. Each link in that chain raises the multiplier.
  5. Merge gold orbs to fill the charge meter. When it is full, Supercharge doubles chain score for five drops.
  6. An orb left above the danger line for 5 seconds ends the run. A full column simply refuses the drop. In Rising the danger zone is only the top row, on a 10 second clock, and a row that pushes a full column out of the top ends the run too.
  7. In Rising, the counter by the board shows the drops left before the next row, and the row itself waits under the board.
Controls
← → / A DAim the drop
Space / ClickDrop
MouseHover a column to aim
TouchAim with ◀ ▶ and drop with ▼, or drag to aim and lift to drop

Scoring

A merge scores the value of the orb it makes, times the number of orbs merged, times its link in the chain: the second link doubles, the third triples. Supercharge doubles that again. Higher tiers are worth far more (a Galaxy is 4,200 per orb merged against an Atom's 70), and merging two Nexus orbs pays a 50,000 bonus for each link of the chain. In Rising, a merge that reaches the fourth row scores x1.5 and one that reaches above the danger line scores x2. Only Classic has a leaderboard; Rising is played for fun and keeps no ranking.

Tips

  • Build one number up in a corner and feed it. Big orbs are hard to move, so park them low and to the side.
  • Leave a match one row apart so the next merge drops into it: that is how a chain starts.
  • Watch NEXT. Four drops of warning is enough to plan a two-step chain.
  • Save a long setup for Supercharge. Five drops of double chain score is where the big runs come from.
  • An orb above the danger line is on a five second clock. Merge it or clear space under it.
  • In Rising, look at the incoming row before the last drop: a pair you leave over the right cell merges the moment the row lands.

Gameplay video

Cascade as it plays, a 9-second clip with no sound.

Questions

Is Cascade free to play?
Yes. Cascade is free to play in your browser, with no purchase required to start.

Do I need to download or install anything to play Cascade?
No. Cascade runs in the browser. There is nothing to download, nothing to install and no plugin to add.

Do I need an account to play Cascade?
No. You can play straight away as a guest, and what you earn is kept in this browser. A free account saves it to your account, so it is not lost when the browser data is cleared and it follows you to another device.

Can I play Cascade on a school Chromebook?
Cascade runs in Chrome with nothing to install, so it works on a Chromebook. It plays on the keyboard alone, from the start screen to the end screen, so there is no need for the touchpad. Whether a school network allows voidarcade.com is up to the school.

Can I play Cascade on a phone?
Yes. Cascade has touch controls and works on phones and tablets as well as on a desktop browser.

How long does a game of Cascade take?
A run takes about 3 to 7 minutes.

What are the controls for Cascade?
Use ← → / A D to aim the drop, Space / Click to drop, Mouse to hover a column to aim, Touch to aim with ◀ ▶ and drop with ▼, or drag to aim and lift to drop.

Evolution log

Void Arcade games change after release. This is Cascade's real update history.

  1. Version 1.2
    • Two modes: Classic (100 drops) and Rising (rows push up from below, play until you overflow)
    • Rising pays x1.5 and x2 for merges high on the board; only Classic is on the leaderboard
    • Arrow buttons on phones: ◀ ▶ to aim, ▼ to drop
  2. Version 1.1
    • A finished run now plays as a win
    • Music that climbs the tier ladder, with a note for every merge
    • One chain badge instead of piles of combo text
    • Tiers you can tell apart, with names on the ladder
    • A full column refuses the drop instead of ending the run
    • Phone layout cleared, and the danger line sits where the rule is
  3. Version 1.0
    • Released to the arcade

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About Void Arcade

Cascade is one of the original games on Void Arcade, the world's first self-evolving online arcade, games here keep changing after release. Read how that works, or browse every free browser game.