About Tile Link
Tile Link is a connect-the-pairs puzzle played with mahjong tiles. Find two matching tiles that can be joined by a line of no more than three straight pieces, tap them both, and they vanish. The line can run through empty spaces and around the outside of the board. Clear every tile before the clock runs out, across 30 levels where, before long, the tiles start to slide.
Also called: tile connect, pair matching, onet style.
How to play Tile Link
- Tap a tile to pick it, then tap a matching tile: it must show exactly the same picture.
- The two tiles link if a line with at most two turns (three straight pieces) joins them without crossing another tile.
- The line may run through empty cells and along the ring around the board, so tiles on the edge are often easy to link.
- Linked tiles vanish and the path flashes on the board. Clear every tile before the clock runs out.
- From level 5, the tiles slide after every pair: down, up, left, right, in to the middle or out to the sides. The arrow badge on each level shows which way.
Rules
- A path is made of horizontal and vertical lines only, with no more than two turns.
- The path may pass through empty cells and the open ring one cell outside the board, but never through a tile.
- The clock starts with your first tap and pauses while the tab is hidden.
- Each level gives you 3 hints and 2 shuffles. A shuffle deals the tiles that are left into a new arrangement that can still be cleared.
- If no pair can be linked and you have no shuffles left, or the clock reaches zero, the level is lost.
- Every deal is built from a fixed seed and checked by a solver, so every level can be cleared.
- Stars: three for finishing with half the clock left, two with a quarter left, one for any finish.
- On a phone the board is smaller (8×6 or 10×7) so the tiles stay big enough to tap.
Tile Link tips and strategy
- Start at the edges. Tiles on the outside can link around the border, and taking them opens up the tiles behind them.
- When a picture appears four times, think about which pair to take first: one choice may leave the other two trapped.
- On sliding levels, watch where the gap will close. Taking a pair can pull a matching tile right next to its partner.
- Save your shuffles for when you are truly stuck. Each one costs nothing but it is gone for the level.
- If you pick a tile by mistake, tap it again to put it down.
Tile Link questions
What counts as a valid link?
Two tiles with the same picture, joined by a path of up to three straight lines (so up to two turns) that only crosses empty space or the open ring around the board. Tiles side by side always link.
Can every level be cleared?
Yes. Each deal is built by working out an order that removes every pair, sliding tiles included, and then checked by replaying that order. Shuffles also deal a board that can still be cleared.
Why is my board smaller on my phone?
Phone screens get an 8×6 or 10×7 board instead of 8×14 or 10×16, so each tile stays large enough to tap. The level, the sliding and the clock rules are the same; the clock is scaled to the number of tiles.
Is my progress saved?
Yes. Your unlocked levels, stars and best times, and the board you are playing with its clock, are saved in this browser, so a reload carries on where you left off.
Is Tile Link free to play?
Yes. Tile Link on Kultured Arcade is completely free: no download, no account and nothing to buy. It runs in any modern browser on a phone, tablet or computer.
Do I need to download Tile Link?
No. It opens instantly in your browser and saves your progress on your device, so there is nothing to install and no sign-up.