How to play Elements
Elements is a relaxing block puzzle on an 8 × 8 grid. Drag shapes from your tray onto the board and fill complete rows or columns to clear them.
There is no timer: the game only ends when none of your pieces fit anywhere. Collect stars along the way to rotate pieces and buy explosive power-ups.
Rules
- You always have three pieces in the tray. Each one you place is replaced straight away.
- Fill a whole row or column and it clears. Clearing several lines in one move scores more: 10, 30, 60, 100 points and up.
- Clearing lines on consecutive moves builds a combo multiplier up to ×5. It lasts through two moves without a clear and resets on the third.
- Some pieces carry a ★. Destroy it to collect a star. You also earn stars for clearing extra lines in one move and for unlocking achievements.
- Spend stars to rotate a piece (1★), drop dynamite that clears a 3 × 3 area (10★) or strike lightning through a whole row and column (15★).
- Your stars and achievements carry over between games, and an unfinished game is saved when you leave.
Controls
- Drag
- Place a piece or power-up (a preview shows the lines it will clear)
- ↻ button
- Rotate a tray piece for 1★
- 1 / 2 / 3
- Pick a tray piece
- B / L
- Pick dynamite / lightning
- Arrows / WASD
- Move the target
- R
- Rotate the selected piece
- Enter / Space
- Place
- N
- New game
Tips
- Keep a 3 × 3 space free for the big square — it is the piece most likely to end a game.
- Set up a row and a column to finish with one piece for a bigger multi-line clear.
- Save stars for dynamite: it is the cheapest way out of a board that is nearly full.
About Elements
Elements is an original block-drop puzzle built for this site. The genre — drag a shape onto a square grid, fill rows or columns to clear them, no timer — took off on phones in the mid-2010s with games in the Blockudoku and Block Puzzle mould, which borrowed Tetris-style pieces but dropped the falling.
It stuck in offices because it is quiet, forgiving and pauses whenever you do. Our version adds a star economy (rotate a piece, drop dynamite, call lightning), a combo multiplier for consecutive clears and achievements that carry over between games.
Questions
Does Elements have a timer?
No. The game only ends when none of the three pieces in your tray fits anywhere on the 8 × 8 board, so you can leave it mid-game and the board will be waiting.
How do combos work?
Clearing lines on consecutive moves builds a multiplier up to ×5. It survives two moves without a clear and resets on the third, so you have a little slack to set up the next line.
How do I rotate a piece?
Rotation costs 1 star: tap the ↻ button under a tray piece, or press R with a piece selected. You earn stars by destroying ★ blocks, clearing several lines in one move and unlocking achievements.
Is my progress saved?
Yes. An unfinished game, your stars and your achievements are all stored locally in your browser and restored when you come back.