Erin’s Extreme Avatar Guide: Destruct-O-Match III

If you practice this game with enough tenacity and determination, I can assure you: 2,500 is an achievable score. Furthermore, you can get this score with a moderate amount of effort if you strategize and know what to look for in this game. Here are some tips on how to cathartically smash those boulders all the way to a shiny new avatar.

The Basics

The game is fairly simple: eliminate as many boulders as possible on each level, and if you eliminate a certain amount of boulders, you’ll move on to the next level. You can only eliminate a boulder if it is next to another boulder of the same color. Eliminate boulders by clicking on them twice. The first time you click, you will highlight the group of boulders about to explode. Click again to destroy them, and all the boulders on top will drop down. Each level will require you to eliminate 50 more boulders, and as the levels increase, more colors will appear.

There are other play styles, but I recommend playing in classic mode if you’re going for the avatar.

There are a few different special boulders that can help or hurt you during the game that we will discuss below. Learning how to play with them strategically is key to getting the avatar.

Bonuses in the Beginning Levels

First, let’s talk about your bonuses. Be sure you clear all the boulders on the first and second levels. By doing this, you get a bonus of 100 points, which is a huge help in the later levels when you get close to that coveted 2,500 score. If you can pull off clearing all the boulders in levels 1-3, you’ll get a bonus of 300, which can skyrocket you past the avatar score.

For levels 3 and 4, you should at least try to eliminate as many boulders as possible. If you eliminate all but 9, you’ll get a bonus of 10 points. If you eliminate 8, you’ll get 20 points, etc. It’s a little harder to clear these levels completely, but those bonuses can net you at least an extra 200-300 points. I usually eliminate all but 5-6 boulders during these levels, which gives me 40-50 bonus points per level. Combined, assuming that you do decently, you could have an extra 300 points by level 4!

In the later levels (level 5 and onward), there’s no shame in having a handful (or more) boulders left over when you finish the level. There are a lot of different boulders with varying colors, and each level gets a little trickier! Below I’ll discuss some of the most important special boulders that will help you get the avatar!

The Randomizer Boulder

The randomizer does exactly what you think it does: it randomly switches around the order of the boulders. If you get the randomizer boulder and do not use it, it will carry over to the next level, which is extremely helpful. However, if you get the randomizer boulder, do not use it, and then get another, you will only have one randomizer power up to use.

With this in mind, save your randomizer for the later levels when you need it. In the earlier levels, you’ll have an easier time connecting boulders because there are fewer colors to deal with, but the later levels will require more use of the power ups and more strategy.

When using the randomizer, eliminate as many boulders as possible until you are down to your last group of boulders, then use it to scramble things around and hope you can get an extra few boulders out of it. If you have the multiplier boulder as well, read below for another strategy when using the randomizer.

The Multiplier Boulder

This special boulder has what looks like three drumsticks on it. This is absolutely crucial to your success in the game because the boulders this multiplier boulder is connected to will multiply (eh, get it?) by three. If you don’t get the multiplier boulder starting on level 6, restart the game. All the levels after level 6 are difficult or impossible without the multiplier boulder. When you get to 260 boulders, you literally don’t have enough boulders on the screen to eliminate to achieve that score. I once cleared this level entirely but still didn’t beat it because there simply weren’t enough boulders on the screen without the multiplier.

The multiplier boulder is important on the later levels. When you see the multiplier boulder on your screen during 200 boulders +, prioritize getting it connected to as many boulders of the same color as possible. If the multiplier boulder is in a particularly tough spot and you think connecting it with other colors is impossible, spend the level eliminating all other colors except for the colors of the multiplier boulder and then use the randomizer once you’ve eliminated as many boulders as possible to shift everything around. This strategy does require some luck, but it’s a solid way to beat the harder levels.

The Timer Boulder

Absolutely eliminate these as soon as possible! If you don’t, this boulder and every one connected to it transform into indestructible boulders that can only be destroyed by fire boulder mentioned below. When I start each level, I scan the entire screen for signs of this boulder counting down I can get rid of it as soon as possible.

The Explode Boulder

I generally find this boulder useless unless I only have 1-2 boulders of varying colors left over at the end of the level. It’s also the only boulder that can eliminate the countdown boulders after you have failed to destroy them, so it can be useful for that purpose. Otherwise, meh. Use at your own discretion.

Strategies for Elimination

For the first few levels (levels 1-3), I work from the bottom up to eliminate the boulders. It’s very important to get rid of those pesky boulders hanging out on the very bottom row because every time you eliminate an entire vertical row, the boulders smash together to create new connections. If you have one boulder on the bottom that doesn’t have any other colors around it, it will stop you from making some very crucial connections with other boulders on the screen and you’ll end up with many more leftover boulders at the end of the level. During these levels, you won’t have to worry as much about breaking up groups of boulders at the top of the screen because you don’t have as many colors to deal with.

During the later levels, work from the bottom and middle down. Once you get about halfway down a row, try working from the bottom and try as hard as you can to eliminate entire vertical rows. Use your power ups as strategically as possible.

I hope these tips help you on your way to Destruct-O-Match III glory! Best of luck, and get smashing!