← Nook Pop

Nook Pop: how to play

Nook Pop is a calm puzzle about shooting gems up a column and lining them up so they pop. This is everything you need to know about goals, stars, coins and the four tools. Play it now or go back to the game page.

The idea

The board is a set of columns hanging from the top, with a few gems already in them. Below the board is a launcher holding the gem you will shoot next. Pick a column, shoot, and the gem climbs to the top of that column. Line up 3 or more equal gems, across, down or diagonally, and they pop. The columns above then slide up to fill the gaps.

Each level gives you a goal and a limited number of shots. Reach the goal before the shots run out, and before any column fills all the way down to the launcher.

Controls

• On a phone or tablet: tap a column to shoot the gem in the launcher up it.
• On a computer: click a column with the mouse. The game has no keyboard controls.
• The game shows the gem that comes next next to the launcher: the next three in the first nine levels, then just one. Use it to plan ahead.
• The round ? button at the top left opens a short card explaining the goal. The small buttons beside the launcher are Restart, Previous and, when you are replaying an older level, Next level.
• The gem button at the top right opens your sticker cabinet.

Step by step

1. Look at the goal line at the top and the number of shots you have left.
2. Look at the gem in the launcher and the one after it.
3. Tap the column where the gem will make, or get closer to, a line of equal gems.
4. Watch what slides up after a pop: it can make a new line by itself, and that is called a chain.
5. Keep going until the goal is met. A Level clear! card shows your stars.

Goals and levels

The first five levels are short lessons with a little hand that shows where to tap, and they are hard to lose. After that the goals grow with the level, and from level 10 they start to vary:

• Clear gems: pop a number of gems of any kind.
• Pop one kind: pop a number of one particular gem. The goal line shows its picture. The other gems do not count.
• Make a long line: from level 20, sometimes you must clear one line of 4 gems (5 later on). A line of 3 pops as soon as it forms, so leave a gap and fill it with one shot.

New kinds of gem arrive as you go, the board gets wider, and the shot limit gets tighter. Every ten levels start a new chapter with its own background colour and name, such as Cosy Corner or Mint Garden.

Points and stars

Each popped gem is worth 10 points. A line of 4 is worth 1.5 times as much and a line of 5 or more twice as much. In a chain, each new round counts more: the second round is doubled, the third tripled, and so on.

When you win, you earn 1 to 3 stars by the number of shots you used. Fewer shots, more stars. The win card tells you how many shots you need for 3 stars. You earn 10 coins for each star.

You can replay any level you have already passed with the Previous and Next level buttons to chase more stars. A replay pays no points, only coins for stars beyond your best.

Coins and tools

You earn 1 coin for every gem you pop, a few extra coins for a long line (3 for a line of 4, 8 for a line of 5 or more), coins for stars, and a gift of 30 coins each day you come back. You spend them on four tools under the board. None of them uses a shot.

The tools are free in levels 1 to 4. Later, each time you use the same tool again on the same level its price goes up by half of the base price. If you do not have enough coins the game tells you so. If the next gem is the same as the one in the launcher, Swap shows Same gem and does nothing.

When you lose

You lose if you run out of shots (Out of shots) or if a column fills up to the launcher (A column is full). You can take the last shot back with Undo, for its usual price, or press Try again to restart the level.

Stickers and milestones

Pop 100 gems of one kind, over any number of levels, and you win that gem's sticker and 25 coins. There are 12 gems, from Diamond to Onyx, and the cabinet keeps your collection. Reaching total score milestones, the first at 500 points, also gives you coins.

Saved progress and language

The game saves your level, stars, total score, coins and stickers on your device. On this website the buttons also include a sound on and off button at the top right, and the game uses English or Italian according to your browser language.

Tips

• Do not rush: you have a limit on shots, not on time. Think about where each gem will land.
• Always check the next gem. Setting up two gems in a row can give you a chain.
• Keep the columns even. A single tall column is how most levels are lost.
• Use Undo freely in the free levels to learn what each shot does.
• Save coins for Remove or Swap on the tight levels, rather than spending them on Hint early.
• For a line of 4 or 5, leave a gap in the line and fill it last with one shot.

Questions or problems? Contact us.