Porchlight › How to play › Fizzy Fizzy
How to play Fizzy Fizzy
A real-time falling-bubbles puzzle game for two to four players. Everyone plays at once, each on their own board. Popping chains of bubbles sends stones to bury your opponents.
The aim
Outlast everyone else. If your third column fills to the top, you're out of the round. The last board still going wins the round, and the first player to win enough rounds wins the match.
Setting up
Each board is 6 columns wide and 12 rows tall, with a hidden row above where bubbles can rest but never pop. Anything that ends up higher than that is lost. Bubbles arrive in pairs, in four flavors by default. Every player gets the same pairs in the same order, and the first two pairs of each round use only three flavors.
Playing
- A pair appears at the top of the third column, one bubble above the other.
- It falls by itself. You can move it sideways, turn it, or drop it. If the two bubbles land over columns of different heights, each falls separately.
- When four or more bubbles of one flavor touch side to side or top to bottom (not diagonally), they pop.
- Bubbles above them fall into the gap. If that makes another group of four, it pops too. Each pop is a link in your chain.
- Once your board settles, any stones due to land on it fall. Then your next pair appears.
Stones never pop by themselves. A stone breaks when a bubble directly next to it (not diagonally) pops.
Pairs move sideways along the top row, so a column filled to the top blocks the way. A pair that isn't placed within about eight seconds drops straight down where it appeared.
Scoring
Each link scores 10 × bubbles popped × multiplier. The multiplier is the chain power, plus the flavor bonus, plus the group bonus, and is at least 1 and at most 999.
| Link | Chain power |
|---|---|
| 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th | 0, 8, 16, 32 |
| 5th, 6th, 7th, and on | 64, 96, 128, and 32 more each time |
| Flavors popped in the link | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flavor bonus | 0 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 24 |
| Bubbles in one group | 4 | 5 to 10 | 11 or more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group bonus | 0 | Bubbles minus 3 | 10 |
If several groups pop in the same link, each adds its own group bonus.
Stones
- Every 70 points of a chain sends one stone. Leftover points carry over to your next chain.
- Your stones first cancel any stones on their way to you. Only the rest are sent out.
- At most 30 stones fall on a board at once: whole rows first, then the rest in random columns. Any more wait for the next settle.
- Clear your whole board and your next chain sends 30 extra stones.
- Overtime. From 96 seconds into a round, stones get cheaper every 16 seconds: 52 points each, then 34, 25, 18, 13, 9, 6, 4, 3, 2 and finally 1.
Three or four players
Your stones go to one opponent at a time. You start by aiming at the next player round the table. Whenever someone sends you stones, they become your target. When a board goes out, anyone aiming at it moves on to the next player along.
Winning
The last board still going wins the round. If every board goes out (stones can top out one board while another's chain is still falling), whichever lasted longest wins; going out at the same moment is a draw. The first player to the set number of round wins takes the match. If draws drag the match on, it stops after a fixed number of rounds and is decided by round wins, then by who lasted longest in the final round.
Table options
| Option | Choices | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Match length | One round, First to 2, or First to 3 | First to 2 |
| Colors | 3 (gentle), 4 (standard), or 5 (hard) | 4 |
| Computer player | Easy, Normal or Hard | Easy |
There is no turn timer. Ranked games are one on one and use the defaults.
On Porchlight
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| ← → | Move (hold to keep moving) |
| ↓ | Fall faster |
| Z | Turn left |
| X or ↑ | Turn right |
| Space | Drop |
If the pair is boxed in and can't turn, pressing turn twice quickly flips it end over end. On a touch screen, buttons do the same jobs.
- Your next pairs are shown beside your board, your score below it, and your round wins by your name.
- Stones heading your way are shown above your board, with bigger icons for more stones. They pulse just before they fall.
- With three or four players, each board shows who it is aiming at, in red if that's you.
- Pick the music under your next pairs: A, B, C or Off. Your browser remembers it, and everyone hears their own pick.
The host can seat computer players. Play with bots is one on one. If you leave a two-player game, your opponent wins. In a larger game, a player who leaves is out for the rest of the match and is placed last; the others play on.
Tips
- Don't pop everything as soon as you can. Stack groups of three so that one pop sets off the next.
- Keep the third column low. That's where you lose.
- Watch the stone warning. Even a small, quick chain can cancel stones before they land.