Six Match - Survival Mode Guide

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                         SIX MATCH - SURVIVAL MODE GUIDE
===============================================================================

Version: 1.0
Last Updated: 05/03/2026
Platform: macOS build, Unity version
Guide Type: Unofficial survival mode gameplay guide

=============================================================================== VISUAL PIECE REFERENCE ===============================================================================

PLAYER

RED

BLUE

YELLOW

CYAN

PINK

ORANGE

ALL

GEM

SKULL

BOMB

NUKE

CAGE

LOCK

BLOCK

GLASS

DIE

COIN DIE

Sprites are the extracted in-game 16x16 assets, shown at 2x size.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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To jump around, search for the code in brackets.

  [SM01] Introduction
  [SM02] Survival In One Minute
  [SM03] Controls And Movement
  [SM04] Energy
  [SM05] Matching
  [SM06] Special Pieces
  [SM07] Gameplay Elements
  [SM08] Scoring
  [SM09] Poker Hands
  [SM10] Survival Progression
  [SM11] Rewind, Hints, And Saving
  [SM12] Cashing In
  [SM13] Strategy
  [SM14] Quick Reference

===============================================================================
[SM01] INTRODUCTION
===============================================================================

Six Match looks like a match-3 game, but Survival mode is really a movement
and routing game. You do not pick two arbitrary pieces and swap them. You are
the numbered player piece on the board. Every move slides your player piece
into a neighboring space, and that movement is what swaps or pushes pieces.

Survival takes place on a 6 by 8 board. You begin with 6 energy. Every real
move costs 1 energy. Making a match refills your energy back to 6. If you run
out of energy, the run is over unless a rewind/help charge saves you.

The goal is score. The hard part is knowing when to keep playing and when to
cash in. A great run is not just a chain of matches. It is a chain of matches
that leaves your player piece close enough to the next refill.

===============================================================================
[SM02] SURVIVAL IN ONE MINUTE
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If you are new, play by these rules:

  1. First, find a match you can reach before energy hits zero.
  2. Move toward that match.
  3. After each match, look at where your player piece ended up.
  4. Make 4-matches when they are safe, because they create wildcards.
  5. Make T or L shapes when they are safe, because they create bombs.
  6. Do not stand next to skull danger.
  7. Use blocks and cages as row/column wrapping tools.
  8. Cash in before the board becomes unreadable.

Survival rewards patience. You can be greedy after you are safe. You cannot
score from a dead board.

===============================================================================
[SM03] CONTROLS AND MOVEMENT
===============================================================================

Common controls:

  Arrow keys      Move
  WASD            Move
  IJKL            Move
  Swipe           Move
  Gamepad         Move

The movement rule is the whole game:

  - Move into a normal coin: you swap with it.
  - Move into a pushable object: the row or column may wrap.
  - Move into a locked object: you bump and stay put.

Normal swap example:

  Before:                 After moving right:

      R R .                   R R B
      . P B                   . B P

The player moved right into the blue coin. The blue coin moved into the
player's old square. That kind of swap is how you complete matches.

Wrap moves are different. Blocks, cages, slots, and dice are pushable. When
you move into them, the game attempts to rotate the entire row or column in
that direction. Think of them as handles. A block can be a problem, but it is
also a lever that moves several pieces for the cost of one energy.

Good movement habits:

  - Keep the player near the center when possible.
  - Do not chase a far match with low energy.
  - Use wraps only after checking the whole row or column.
  - Remember that your final position matters more than the match animation.

===============================================================================
[SM04] ENERGY
===============================================================================

Energy is your move budget.

  Starting energy: 6
  Move cost:       1
  Match reward:    refill to 6
  Energy at 0:     death or rewind prompt

The player coin itself shows the energy number. When it says 6, you have room
to route. When it says 1, your next real move has to save you.

Energy rules of thumb:

  Energy 6: You can route, prepare, or reposition.
  Energy 5: Still comfortable, but pick a target.
  Energy 4: Stop wandering.
  Energy 3: Commit to a reachable match.
  Energy 2: Only take guaranteed setup moves.
  Energy 1: The next move must match or harvest.

Do not think of energy as a timer. Think of it as distance. A match that is
five moves away is good at 6 energy and meaningless at 3 energy.

===============================================================================
[SM05] MATCHING
===============================================================================

Three or more pieces match in a straight horizontal or vertical line.

Basic rules:

  - Three normal coins of one color clear.
  - Four in a row clear and create a rainbow wildcard.
  - Five or more in a row clear and create a nuke.
  - T, L, or crossing matches create a bomb.
  - Rainbow wildcards match any normal color.
  - Cages, markers, and blocks can sit on top of color identity.

The board checks horizontal matches first, then vertical matches. If a vertical
match crosses an existing horizontal match, that crossing can become a junction
match and create a bomb.

The most important match is the one that refills energy and leaves the player
near another match. A small safe match is often better than a large clear that
strands you.

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[SM06] SPECIAL PIECES
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-----------------
RAINBOW / ALL
-----------------

Created by: 4 in a row

The rainbow piece matches every normal color. It is the safest special because
it turns awkward near-matches into energy refills. It also acts as a wildcard
in poker hands.

Use it to:

  - Rescue low-energy positions.
  - Complete 4- and 5-card poker hands.
  - Bridge a board with too many colors.

-----------------
BOMB
-----------------

Created by: T, L, or crossing match

A bomb detonates when you swap into it. Its blast travels in the direction of
the swap. If it hits another bomb, the chain branches. If it hits a nuke, the
nuke can trigger too.

Use bombs to:

  - Open cramped boards.
  - Break cage clusters.
  - Reach dangerous or valuable pieces without standing next to them.
  - Start chain reactions.

-----------------
NUKE
-----------------

Created by: 5 or more in a row

A nuke clears a 5 by 5 area centered on itself. Bombs and nukes caught in the
blast can chain. Nukes are the best late-game cleanup tool.

Do not die holding a nuke. If you need the refill, use it.

===============================================================================
[SM07] GAMEPLAY ELEMENTS
===============================================================================

------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PIECE CHART FOR THIS SECTION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PLAYER: energy

ALL: wildcard

GEM: bonus

SKULL: danger

CAGE: shell

LOCK: hard shell

BLOCK: push

GLASS: swap clear

DIE: countdown

COIN DIE: score

BOMB: line

NUKE: 5x5


-----------------
PLAYER
-----------------

The player coin is you. Its number is current energy. Its position controls
what moves are possible. Protect its location.

Good player positions:

  - Near the center.
  - Near several colors.
  - Near at least one reachable match.
  - Away from skull danger.

Bad player positions:

  - Corners at low energy.
  - Beside skulls.
  - Pinned near locked cages.
  - Far away from every match.

-----------------
NORMAL COLORS
-----------------

The six colors are red, blue, yellow, cyan, pink, and orange. Survival begins
with four colors and adds more as the run continues. More colors means fewer
easy matches, so each new color makes the board harder to read.

-----------------
GEM
-----------------

Gems are bonus pieces. Clearing or harvesting one gives score and contributes
a gem card to poker. Gems are good, but they are not worth dying for.

-----------------
SKULL
-----------------

Skulls are dangerous. Matching skulls can clear them, but skull effects can
kill the player if you are in the wrong place. Before making a skull-related
clear, check where your player will stand after the move.

-----------------
CAGE
-----------------

A cage is a shell around another coin. Matching the underlying color breaks
the cage instead of immediately clearing the coin. Cages are pushable, so they
can also enable wrap moves.

Do not hate cages automatically. A cage that lets you rotate a row may be more
useful than a normal coin.

-----------------
LOCK CAGE
-----------------

A stronger cage. Standard matching is inefficient against it. Use bombs and
nukes when possible.

-----------------
BLOCK
-----------------

Blocks are pushable obstacles. Plain blocks are not normal match pieces.
Colored blocks can clear in same-color matches. Pushing blocks can rotate rows
or columns, but blocks can also stamp armour as they move.

Late Survival is partly about learning to treat blocks as board controls.

-----------------
ARMOUR
-----------------

Armour belongs to the tile, not the coin. The first match on an armoured tile
removes the armour but leaves the coin behind. Armour costs tempo because it
turns one clear into two steps.

-----------------
DIE
-----------------

Dice are countdown pieces. Adjacent matches lower their count. When the count
is depleted, the die can be collected for a large payout. Dice are valuable,
but they require local control.

-----------------
COIN DIE
-----------------

A scoring die variant. It also counts down through adjacent matches and pays
heavily when cleared.

-----------------
GLASS
-----------------

Glass shatters when swapped. No normal match is required. Use glass as a
repositioning refill when it is available.

-----------------
SLOTS
-----------------

Slots can reroll their color and are pushable. They are in the engine, but
they are not a major baseline part of the Survival spawn progression.

-----------------
MARKER
-----------------

Markers matter mostly in puzzle levels. They are not a central Survival
concern.

===============================================================================
[SM08] SCORING
===============================================================================

Score increases when collect particles reach the score box.

Common payout values:

  Normal color cleared          1
  Gem                           1, plus poker behavior
  Skull                         1
  Glass                         1
  Bomb or nuke                  1
  Die or coin die               7
  Player during cash-in         current energy + 1
  Block during cash-in          11 plus growing block bonus

Big scores come from:

  - Cascades.
  - Dice payouts.
  - Poker payouts.
  - Cashing in a valuable board.
  - Bomb and nuke chains.

Small three-matches keep you alive. High scores come from turning those safe
matches into specials, poker value, and cash-in value.

===============================================================================
[SM09] POKER HANDS
===============================================================================

Survival has poker scoring. Each match creates a card of the matched color.
After five cards, the hand is evaluated.

  Pair                 2 points
  Two Pair             5 points
  Three of a Kind     10 points
  Full House          25 points
  Four of a Kind      35 points
  Flush               50 points
  No Hand              0 points

Rainbow cards are wild. They shift toward the most common non-rainbow color in
the hand. This makes rainbow matches strong for both survival and score.

Poker tips:

  - First priority is staying alive.
  - Prefer colors already in your hand.
  - Use rainbow cards to finish four-of-a-kind or flush hands.
  - A safe full house is better than a risky flush chase.
  - A no-payout hand is acceptable if the board position improves.

The best players do not take every match randomly. They shape the hand while
keeping enough energy to continue.

===============================================================================
[SM10] SURVIVAL PROGRESSION
===============================================================================

------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPAWN POOL LEGEND - NEW PIECES ENTER AS THE RUN ADVANCES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RED