Kelp Lanterns
Swap glowing reef lanterns, trigger cascades, and uncover every gold seabed mark before your moves run out.
How to play
Match 3 or more lanterns by swapping two adjacent ones; each legal swap costs one move. Removing a lantern uncovers the gold mark beneath it. Clear all marks before moves reach zero. Four-in-a-row makes a line lantern, L or T makes a bloom lantern, five makes a prism lantern. Use the NEXT strip to see which lanterns refill the board.
Controls
- Swipe or drag a lantern toward a neighbor (or tap one, then tap an orthogonal neighbor) to attempt one swap
- Arrow keys move the cursor; Space selects a lantern, and the next arrow attempts a swap
- Pause / mute buttons at top-right; P or Escape pauses
Tips
- Check the NEXT preview before swapping — falling replacements can cascade through marked cells below.
- When moves are scarce, take the direct mark clear; with moves to spare, set up a line or bloom lantern over a mark cluster.
- Prism lanterns are strongest when swapped with the lantern type most common under marks.
- Invalid swaps cost nothing, so test setups freely — only successful matches spend moves.
- Clearing several marks in one cascade beats one mark per move; look for matches in columns above marks.
About Kelp Lanterns
Kelp Lanterns is a move-budget match puzzle set on a deep reef. Each reef is a 7×7 grid of shell lanterns with gold square marks hidden beneath them. Clear every mark within the reef's fixed move allowance to open the next, larger reef — run out of moves with marks still covered and the run ends. There is no clock; only moves limit you. A seven-piece refill preview shows exactly which lanterns fall next, so you can plan falling columns instead of guessing. Every reef is generated and verified to guarantee at least one immediate mark-clearing swap and a useful two-swap setup, so the recurring choice is always real: take the direct clear now, or spend a move preparing a bigger one. Straight four matches create line lanterns that clear a full row or column, L and T matches create bloom lanterns that clear a 3×3 area, and straight fives create prism lanterns that wipe every lantern of a chosen type. Cascades score more per wave, and matches low on the board can cascade through marked cells. Reefs grow from 4 marks and 7 moves up to a 16-mark, 13-move cap, and each completion awards 100 points. Best score is saved locally.
