Scratch Town

📝 Special Statement

The Grand Architect: Idle Merge for Imperial Glory! 🏰💎

Step into a world of profound strategic depth and delightful, continuous progression! This is an intensely addictive idle merge puzzle game where you become the grand architect of a miniature, evolving civilization. Your mission is to master the art of placement, turning humble Grass into towering Triple Castles and managing a complex array of unique items that dictate your success. Get ready to flex your strategic muscles and dominate the leaderboards! 🏆

Core Mechanics: Merge and Conquer

The heart of the game lies in its satisfying merge system. You must place the 'next' item in a free space on the board to form a group of three or more of the same type. When a successful match is made, these three items are instantly consumed and replaced by an upgraded item—a visible leap forward in your growing domain. This mechanic demands careful planning, as a poorly placed item can quickly clog your board and halt your progress.

Strategic Choice: To give you a tactical edge, you have a choice of two items to place! By clicking 'next' (or pressing space to swap), you can cycle between two potential items. This allows you to keep the powerful items in reserve, deploying them only when they create the most advantageous merge or clear the largest section of the board.

For those tracking their ascent and ensuring their hard-earned progress is never lost, remember to click 'Points' to see the HIGH SCORES and SAVE your progress.

The Progression Paths: From Bush to Glory

Mastery requires understanding the intricate progression of items. The game features several distinct evolution chains, each culminating in a high-value item:

• The Land Path (Growth):
  Grass $\rightarrow$ Bush $\rightarrow$ Tree $\rightarrow$ Hut $\rightarrow$ House $\rightarrow$ Mansion
• The Imperial Path (Supremacy):
  Mansion $\rightarrow$ Castle $\rightarrow$ Floating Castle $\rightarrow$ Triple Castle! (The ultimate prize!)
• The Artifact Path (Wealth):
  Chest $\rightarrow$ Large Chest (The primary source of wealth and points!)

Special Items: Mastery of the Unpredictable

Success relies on your clever utilization of special, unpredictable items: Bears, Crystals, and Imperial Bots.

1. The Bear, Tombstone, and Wealth Chain:
   Bear $\rightarrow$ Tombstone $\rightarrow$ Church $\rightarrow$ Cathedral $\rightarrow$ Chest (A reliable path to wealth.)
2. The Crystal's Wildcard Power:
   Crystals are your true wildcard! They will auto match with any other two items of the same type and create a 3, acting as a powerful instant bridge in any chain. However, if there is no immediate match or available upgrade path when placed, the Crystal instead devolves into a Rock. The Rock can then be merged:
   Crystal $\rightarrow$ Rock $\rightarrow$ Mountain $\rightarrow$ Large Chest (A slower, but massive path to wealth.)
3. The Bot's Brutal Efficiency (The Hybrid Merge):
   The Mountain has a unique hybrid upgrade path: Mountain + Bot $\rightarrow$ Chest $\rightarrow$ Large Chest. This is a high-risk move that yields great rewards.
4. Imperial Bots: The Eraser:
   Imperial Bots are indispensable for clearing critical board space. They can be placed on any item to remove it from the board. However, their actions have side effects that must be managed:
   • Eating a Bear will leave behind a Tombstone.
   • Eating a Mountain leaves behind a massive Large Chest.

Can you balance the expansion of your Triple Castles with the generation of wealth from your Large Chests, all while expertly managing the chaos of the board? Dive in and begin your imperial journey!