Alchemist Lab: Jewel Crush

Match-3 gem swapping with combos worth planning for.

Loads instantly · Free · No install

About Alchemist Lab: Jewel Crush

Alchemist Lab: Jewel Crush is a match-3 puzzle set in an alchemy lab. Swipe to swap colorful gems and line up three of the same jewel to clear them. Match four or five instead and you generate a bonus, which is where the real planning starts.

A bonus is activated by matching it with a gem, and matching bonuses with each other generates the philosopher's stone. With more than 100 challenging levels, there is plenty of room to learn how to set those combinations up instead of taking every easy three.

How to play

Swipe to swap gems and make a line of three matching jewels to clear them. Match four or five to generate a bonus, match a bonus with a gem to activate it, and match bonuses with each other to create the philosopher's stone. Work your way through more than 100 levels.

Controls

Mouse drag / swipe — swap gems

Tips to win

Before taking an easy three, check whether one more move would set up a four or five for a bonus.
Hold a bonus for a turn or two if a second one may appear nearby; bonuses matched together make the philosopher's stone.
Look for two matching jewels with a single gem in the way, since those are the moves you can actually make.

Alchemist Lab: Jewel Crush strategy guide

Three clears, four or five builds. Every move in Alchemist Lab is a swipe that swaps gems. Line up three matching jewels and they clear. Line up four or five and the game generates a bonus instead. That difference is the core decision on every turn: take the easy three now, or spend a move setting up something bigger.

Look for the four before the three. Before you take an obvious three, scan the area around it. If one more move would turn it into a four or a five, the patience usually pays off, because bonus pieces do far more for a hard board than plain matches do.

Activate bonuses with a gem, or combine them. The developer describes two ways to use a bonus. Matching it with a gem activates it. Matching bonuses with each other generates the philosopher's stone, the special piece the whole bonus system builds toward. Holding a bonus for a few moves until a second one is close enough to combine is often worth more than cashing it in straight away.

Pace yourself across 100+ levels. There are more than 100 challenging levels, so there is no need to rush any single board. If a level goes badly, treat it as practice at spotting bonus setups. Over many levels, the habit of hunting for fours and fives matters more than any one lucky move.

When stuck, look for near-matches. On a crowded board the productive search is not for finished lines but for two matching jewels with a single gem in the way. Those are the moves that exist. Scanning for pairs rather than triples finds options much faster, and it also shows you where a four might be hiding.