This is a Cheery Chimp original.
Objective
Save as many gems as possible before the level ends. The level ends when every gem has either escaped or been destroyed.
How To Play Lode - Math
How to Clear Blocks
Each level has a target number displayed in the HUD at the top. Your job is to select adjacent blocks in the grid that hit that target.
Levels 1–4 use addition — select blocks that add up to the target.
Levels 5–8 use multiplication — select blocks that multiply to the target.
Some levels use subtraction — the first block you tap is the starting value; each block after it is subtracted in order.
To select blocks:
-
Tap a block to start a selection
-
Tap or drag to adjacent blocks (up, down, left, right)
-
The running total updates as you go
-
Tap the last block again to submit
If your selection hits the target exactly, the blocks clear and the grid collapses downward — holes open up and gems fall through. If you're wrong, the selection resets and you try again.
The small number in the corner of each selected block shows the order you tapped them — important for subtraction.
The Crusher
A red bar descends from the top of the screen on a timer. If it reaches the block zone, any gems still touching it are destroyed. Clear blocks quickly to let gems escape before the Crusher arrives.
gems that fall through holes and exit the bottom of the screen are saved. gems that are caught by the Crusher are lost.
Bombs
Clear 3 or more blocks at once and you earn a Bomb. Bombs are heavy black gems with a pulsing red glow — they sink down through lighter gems.
Tap a Bomb to detonate it. The explosion clears a 3×3 area of blocks instantly and sends nearby gems flying. Use them to clear steel obstacles or punch open a wide hole in one shot.
Bombs don't count toward your save total and won't delay the level from ending.
Steel Blocks
Some levels include steel blocks — dark tiles with rivets. They cannot be selected or cleared. Numbers fall around them, and gems bounce off them. Use Bombs if you need to remove one.
Setup
The screen is split into two zones. The top zone is where gems enter and bounce around. The bottom zone is a grid of numbered blocks — this is where you play. A red Crusher bar descends from the top at a fixed pace. Your job is to clear holes in the block grid before it arrives, so the gems can fall through and escape out the bottom.
>Strategy
-
Think ahead. The Crusher is slow at first but every level is timed — don't stall on a difficult selection. Taking a suboptimal clear is better than waiting.
-
Aim for 3+ block clears. Clearing three or more blocks at once earns a Bomb and opens a wider hole for gems to fall through.
-
Subtraction order matters. The first block you tap is always the value you subtract from. Tap a large number first, then the smaller ones.
-
Bombs are surgical. Save them for steel blocks or moments when gems are clustered above a small gap and you need to blast it open fast.
-
gems wiggle. If a cluster of gems seems stuck, they'll eventually shake themselves loose — the physics will work them free.
