// THE TACTICAL GUIDE

How to Play

War of Whiskers takes the satisfying click of match-3 and bolts on the depth of a turn-based strategy battler. Match gems, command four coloured Kings, and outplay your opponent over thirty rounds of tactical combat.

// LESSON 01 — THE CORE TWIST

Four Kings on the Board

Forget watching gems fall and counting points. Each player commands four coloured King pieces — Red, Yellow, Green and Blue — that live directly on the match-3 board next to the gems.

Your Kings have health, can be moved, can be attacked, and can block enemy matches. They are the heart of every game. Lose them, and you lose the war.

  • Each King has its own HP bar that takes damage from matches
  • Move a King independently to set up devastating combos
  • Kings ignore gravity — explosions never knock them out of position
  • Eliminate all four enemy Kings for an instant win
Red King
Yellow King
Green King
Blue King
// LESSON 02 — MATCH STRUCTURE

Thirty Rounds. Two Actions. One War.

You and your opponent trade turns until the round counter hits zero, or one of you is left without a King.

Round Limit

30 Rounds

Every battle consists of 30 rounds — a total of 15 turns per player. You must outwit your opponent within 30 rounds to secure victory. Every move counts, and no time is wasted.

Average match: 5–10 minutes
Your Turn

2 Actions

Each turn, you have 30 seconds to perform two actions. These actions give you the freedom to attack, defend, reposition, or build up special abilities. Use them wisely — each turn could be the tipping point.

Match-4 or Match-5 grants a bonus action
Victory

Two Win Paths

Victory can be achieved in one of two ways, either defeat all four enemy kings for a decisive win, or outscore them by the time the rounds end. Careful strategy in either path can lead to victory.

Score Victory or Elimination Victory
// LESSON 03 — MATCHING

How to Match

Three or more gems of the same colour, or a clever shape, creates a match. The bigger the match, the bigger the reward — and the bigger the threat to your opponent.

Match-3 · The Standard

Three in a Row

Scores points for the matched colour and chips away at the corresponding enemy King.

Match-4 · Bonus Action

Line Tile

Four in a row scores big, grants a bonus turn, and creates a Line tile that clears a full row or column.

Match-5 · Rainbow Power

Rainbow Tile

Five in a row creates a Rainbow tile, grants a bonus turn, and sets up the most devastating combo in the game.

L-Shape · Bomb Maker

Bomb Tile

Five gems in an L formation detonate into a Bomb tile — perfect for cracking clustered defensive Kings.

T-Shape · Bomb Maker

Bomb Tile

Five gems in a T formation. Same payoff, different setup.

// LESSON 04 — SPECIAL TILES

The Four Power Tiles

Bigger matches and clever shapes create special tiles. Each one changes how the board behaves — and how much damage your Kings take.

Column Clear

Vertical Line

From a vertical Match-4. Wipes out the entire column — gems, threats, and unlucky Kings.

Row Clear

Horizontal Line

From a horizontal Match-4. Sweeps a full row — perfect for clearing a path to a damaged King.

3×3 Explosion

Bomb Tile

From a T or L shape. Detonates a 3×3 area, hitting every King in the blast.

Colour Wipe

Rainbow Tile

The Match-5 reward. Removes every gem of a chosen colour and deals 150 damage to the matching King.

// LESSON 05 — COMBO SYSTEM

Chain Them Together

Adjacent special tiles can be swapped together regardless of colour. Stack them to detonate match-ending chain reactions.

+

Bomb + Line

Detonates a full row or column with explosive 3×3 force, hitting every King in the path.

+

Bomb + Rainbow

Turns every gem of the matching colour into a bomb. Catastrophic board-wipe damage.

+

Double Line

Combines a vertical and horizontal Line tile to clear an entire row and column at once.

+

Rainbow + Rainbow

The forbidden combo. Wipes the board, damages every enemy King, and resets the field in your favour.

// LESSON 06 — SKILL OVER LUCK

No Lucky Cascades

Most match-3 games reward whoever drops a lucky combo. War of Whiskers strips that out — wins are earned with planning and positioning, not a roll of the dice.

Cascades CAN

Score & Trigger

Cascading gems still score and set off existing specials, so chain reactions reward smart setups.

Cascades CANNOT

Create New Specials

Cascade matches never spawn new Line, Bomb, or Rainbow tiles. Specials come from deliberate matches only.

Kings Ignore Gravity

Locked In Place

Clears beneath a King don't drop them. Their position is yours to control and defend.

Bonus Actions

Earned, Not Granted

Extra turns only come from intentional Match-4s and Match-5s. Every advantage has a cause.