3Tones is a Match-Three Game by Vast Studios released in 2009 for computers running Microsoft Windows. You have to make matches shown in a bar at the bottom of the screen by dragging block that are adjacent. Once it's done, the blocks are removed from the gameboard and the tray, as the score counter goes up. You can use multiple power-ups to gain an advantage. There are multiple play modes including Career (beat a specific objective before the song ends for a badge), Arcade (see how long you can last before the tray is full), and Puzzle (make specific matches to clear out the game board). You can listen to one of 30 songs provided with the game from several different artists or upload your own soundtrack as an in-game playlist.
This game provides examples of:
- Completion Meter: The High Scores tab has a completion percentage, which goes up as you unlock badges and other stuff.
- Difficulty by Acceleration: Going higher in levels in Arcade Mode makes more matches spawn faster, potentially overwhelming you.
- Endless Game: Arcade Mode does not end until you lose, no matter how many points you get.
- Limit Break: As you make matches, the combo meter fills up. Once it's full, you enter combo mode, where the game makes compatible matches automatically. If you manage to make 15 matches in 25 seconds, you can access fire mode where you can match blocks however you like, gaining tons of points quickly.
- No Plot? No Problem!: The game has a Career Mode, but neither it nor the other modes provide any kind of story.
- Playlist Soundtrack: The game switches between tracks when one has finished playing in Arcade and Time Attack modes. You can use the game's tracks or upload your own.
- Power-Up: There are ten power-ups in the game, five of which are triggered by breaking blocks with them and five which are triggered by just click on them.
- Power Up Letdown: Fire mode and the Ice Delight power-up are good on their own, but if you get both of them at once, congratulations - they're effectively wasted, since the former lets you make matches with whatever you want while the latter requires specific matches.
- Score Multiplier:
- Making consecutive moves of either the same color or the same number multiplies your score up to x5.
- Matching a block with an X grants double points for some time.
- Timed Mission: The goal of each Career stage is beating whatever objective the game gives you to earn a badge before the song ends.
