Stars, constellations and what a replay is actually worth
Stars are the progression currency of this game in the literal sense: they are what clearing a level actually produces, beyond the fact of having cleared it. Understanding how they are awarded changes which levels are worth replaying and which are not.
How stars are awarded
- Clearing a level awards stars based on the score you reached, with up to three available per level.
- Stars fill constellations in the sky. Completing a constellation grants rewards, and completing a full one can unlock a power that becomes available in the PowerLab.
- Replaying a level you have already three-starred adds nothing. Stars you already hold are not awarded twice.
That last point is the practically important one. Replaying is worthwhile only where you left stars behind — a level cleared with one star has two still available, and is the best place to spend a session if progression is what you want.
Scoring for stars, not for survival
Clearing a level and scoring well on it are different tasks. When you return for stars, the approach changes:
- Build specials rather than taking the fastest route to the goal — the score comes from chains, and chains come from specials.
- Use the low-colour opening of the level to set up, since matches are easiest to arrange before the seventh colour appears.
- Finish the goal last. Once it completes, the level ends, and any score you were about to build ends with it.
Leaderboards
Each level carries its own leaderboard, which makes comparison local rather than global: you are measured against friends on the specific level in front of you, not against the whole player base. For most people this is more motivating, and it is also a practical hint — a friend's higher score on a level you have three-starred is evidence there is a better route through it than the one you took.
Hearts and pacing
Failing or quitting a level costs a heart, and hearts regenerate slowly over time up to a small maximum. This is the main pacing mechanism in the game, and it has one strategic consequence worth stating plainly: attempting a hard level while distracted is expensive. If you are not going to read the board properly, replay a cleared level for stars instead — the failure cost is far lower.
A simple session plan
- Open with one replay of a one-star level to warm up and bank a star.
- Spend the middle of the session on genuinely new levels, while your reading is sharpest.
- Stop attempting new levels once you notice yourself swapping without a plan.