PROJECTS / TURTLE TIDE
Turtle Tide
COMING SOONA chibi-illustrated match-3 where gameplay creates melody
SCREENSHOTS
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Turtle Tide is a match-3 puzzle game that rewards you for caring about its characters, not just clearing its board. Every match feeds the evolution of the species you matched — hatchlings grow into juveniles, adults, elders, and legendaries. It’s the “one more game” hook the genre has been missing, wrapped in hand-drawn chibi illustrations that never look AI-generic.
Why This Game
Most match-3 games ask you to match tiles. Turtle Tide asks you to care which tiles you match. Every matching turtle species earns XP that evolves your collection, unlocking abilities that change how the next match plays. Combined with ocean current physics, auto-fire power-ups that land the “wow” moment instantly instead of making you chain twice, and 100 hand-tuned levels, it’s match-3 with the retention loop of a roguelike.
How It Works
Swipe to swap adjacent creatures. Match 3 of a kind to clear them. Match 4 instantly fires a rocket across the full row or column — no saving specials for later. Match 5 sweeps every tile of that color off the board in a chromatic wave. An L or T shape drops a 3×3 bomb and leaves a glowing Violet Turtle at the intersection — swap it with any neighbor to fire a plus-shape wipe that takes out an entire row AND column at once. Match 6 or more triggers a 5×5 mega-blast with a screen flash.
Ocean currents determine how tiles fall: downward in the shallows, sideways in Open Sea, toward whirlpool centers in Ancient Reef, upward in the Deep Trench, and shifting every single turn in Arctic Waters. Early levels use a smaller tile pool so matches feel dense and satisfying; later worlds widen the roster and tighten the challenge. Every 20 levels a boss appears with its own attack pattern and HP phases.
Privacy-First by Design
Turtle Tide stores all game data on-device. No accounts, no analytics, no tracking, no third-party servers. Optional Game Center leaderboards use anonymous identifiers managed by Apple. In-app purchases go straight through StoreKit 2 — no personal data collected. You can play the entire campaign with airplane mode on.
PROJECT FEATURES
10 Collectible Turtles, 5 Evolution Stages
Classic sea turtles, loggerheads, olive ridleys, and the mystical Violet Turtle. Every species earns XP from matches and evolves through Hatchling → Juvenile → Adult → Elder → Legendary, unlocking passive abilities at Elder stage.
Royal Match–Style Auto-Fire Power-Ups
Match 4 to fire a rocket clear across the full row or column. Match 5 to wipe every tile of that color. Match 6+ to trigger a 5×5 mega-blast. L or T shape drops a bomb AND leaves a Violet Turtle behind for a plus-shape wipe on your next swap.
100 Levels Across 5 Ocean Worlds
Hatchling Beach, Open Sea, Ancient Reef, Deep Trench, and Arctic Waters — each with distinct ocean currents that change how tiles fall: down, up, sideways, into whirlpools, or shifting every turn.
Procedural Audio — Matches Become Melody
Every tile type is a pentatonic note. Cascades literally create melody. Each world has its own key signature so you can't play an ugly chord.
Elder Abilities That Actually Matter
Evolve species to Elder and unlock real passives: +5% score, +15% XP, free moves on big matches, ice-and-sand splash damage, random special drops, extra pearls on level complete. Build your roster, build your power.
4 Game Modes + 5 Boss Battles
Adventure, Timed Rush (60s score attack), Endless Zen (no fail state), Daily Challenge (same puzzle worldwide). Plus bosses every 20 levels: Giant Crab, Moray Eel, Kraken, Angler Fish, and the Orca.