Block Munch guide

How to play Block Munch

Block Munch is a block puzzle with spooky fog on the board. Drag monster pieces onto the 8×8 grid and fill rows and columns: every full line disappears, and the fog under it goes too. Clear all of it with as few pieces as you can. Like every game in Beasties, it works offline and has no ads.

The block puzzle

Block Munch rules in one minute

An 8×8 board, partly hidden under purple fog. A few monsters already sit on it, and you bring more from the tray:

Drag a monster onto the board. Pieces can't be turned. A white outline shows where it will land.
Fill a row or a column. The line gets a white frame before you let go. Once it is full, Gnatz eats every piece in it.
The fog goes with it. Every fog cell in a cleared line disappears, and the eyes in it run for it.
No fog left: level done. Pieces above the fog stay where they are. Only the fog has to go.

Unlike most block puzzles, Block Munch has no endless round and no score to chase. Every level is a fixed puzzle with one goal: no fog left. Pieces can’t be turned, and you never have to clear them. Whatever sits above the fog can stay there.

The tray

Three pieces at a time

The pieces come from a fixed queue. You always see the next three, never what comes after them.

Always three to choose from. The tray under the board shows three pieces, each in its family colour.
Any order you like. Take the right one first if it helps. What counts is where each piece goes.
The next three come after the third. Only when all three are on the board does the tray fill up again.
The same pieces for everyone. Every level has its own fixed queue of pieces, so you can plan, and a solution works for every player.

Because the queue is fixed, a level plays out the same every time you restart it, for you and for everyone else. That is why there can be a solution for every level.

How to play

Block Munch in the app, step by step

Level, stars and the fog that is left on top, Gnatz peeking over the board, the tray below it and Restart at the bottom. Everything happens by dragging.

Drag from the tray. The piece floats a little above your finger, so you can see the spot. A white outline shows where it lands.
A framed line will clear. Rows and columns you are about to fill get a white frame. Let go and they are gone.
Every piece counts. Under the stars: the fog that is left, the pieces you have placed, and how many until the next star falls.
Restart: a clean slate. The same level and the same pieces from the start, with all three stars back.

Stars

Fewer pieces, more stars

Three stars are at stake in every level. In Block Munch they depend on how many pieces you need.

Every level has a target. A few pieces of room on top of it, and all three stars stay yours.
Too many pieces cost stars. Past the limit one star falls, and another one every three pieces after that.
Start over any time. Restart brings back all three stars and the very same pieces.
Clear it, keep them. When the last fog is gone, the stars you still have fly into your counter.

Every level has a target: the number of pieces its solution needs. On Chill and Normal you get three pieces of room on top of it, on Tricky and Devilish four. After that one star falls, then another every three pieces. When the last one goes, the level is lost and you start it again.

Nothing fits

When the board runs out of room

A piece that fits nowhere turns grey in the tray. If none of them fits, Gnatz steps in and eats them.

Each piece needs room. Fill the gaps without a plan and the board gets tight.
Nothing fits? Gnatz eats them. If none of the pieces left in the tray fits anywhere, Gnatz gobbles them up. A red banner says it: that costs a star.
Then the next three come. The game goes on with the next pieces of the queue.

That costs a star, but the level goes on with the next three pieces of the queue. Leave some open space as you go, and you rarely get there.

From Tricky on

Boulders need two clears

On Tricky two boulders lie in the fog, on Devilish four. A boulder fills its cell like a piece, but a cleared line only cracks it.

A boulder in the fog. It fills its cell like a piece, but it is tougher.
The first clear only cracks it. The line goes, the fog goes, the boulder stays with a crack.
The second clear breaks it. Clear a row or column through it once more and it is gone.

A cracked boulder still blocks its cell. Plan a second line through it early, ideally one that takes some fog with it as well.

Difficulty levels

Four difficulties, 999 levels each

The boards below are level 1 of each difficulty. Every step up brings more fog, bigger pieces and a higher target. From Tricky on, boulders join in.

Chill

29–32 fog cells · target 4–6

Four rows of fog, small monsters and a target of 4 to 6 pieces. Warm up.

Normal

37–40 fog cells · target 6–8

Five rows of fog and bigger pieces. Clear it in 6 to 8 pieces.

Tricky

45–48 fog cells · target 8–10

Six rows of fog and two boulders that need two clears each. Target 8 to 10.

Devilish

45–48 fog cells · target 8–11

Thick fog and four boulders. Every piece counts.

Within one difficulty, level 1 and level 999 ask for the same. The levels are fixed and the same for every player in the same order, so the solutions on this site match your app: all 999 levels of Chill, Normal, Tricky and Devilish.

Block Munch strategy

Block Munch tips for fewer pieces

Any order of pieces clears the fog sooner or later. These three habits clear it fast enough for three stars.

Tip 1

Start with nearly full rows

The monsters already on the board leave rows with only one or two gaps. Those are the cheapest clears in the level.

Look for nearly full rows. The monsters already on the board leave rows with just one or two gaps.
A small piece is enough. One piece, a whole row of fog gone.
Then look again. Every clear changes the board. The next easy row is often right there.

Tip 2

Close two lines at once

Where an almost full row meets an almost full column, a single piece can clear both, and twice the fog with them.

Two lines, one gap. This row and this column are both almost full, and they meet at the same spot.
One piece closes both. Both lines clear in one go.
Twice the fog, one piece. Crossings are the cheapest way to clear a lot of fog.

Tip 3

Plan the whole trio

You choose the order of the three pieces. Sometimes one only fits after another has cleared a row, so look at all three first.

This piece has no room yet. Its spot is still taken.
So place the other one first. It finishes a row, and the row makes room.
Now it fits. Look at all three pieces before you place the first one.

Took a wrong turn? Restart whenever you like: the same pieces come again, and all three stars are back. Stuck on one level? Every level has a solution, piece by piece.

Solutions

Stuck on a level?

Every level has its own solution page, free and Pro. You see the start of the level and a solution one piece at a time, in exactly the target number of pieces.

All Block Munch solutions

FAQ

Block Munch questions, short answers

What is the goal in Block Munch?

Clear all the spooky fog from the board. Fog disappears when a row or column it lies in is completely filled. When no fog is left, the level is done, even if monsters are still on the board.

Can I look up the rules during a round?

Yes. Tap the gear at the top left of the round: Settings open, and their Game guide row takes you straight to the rules of this game, what is special in it and how the stars work. You also find the guide behind the ? on the level start and in Settings on the home screen.

How is Block Munch different from other block puzzles?

There is no endless round and no score. Every level is a fixed puzzle with a fixed queue of pieces, and the challenge is to clear the fog with as few pieces as possible.

Can I rotate the pieces?

No. Pieces always keep the shape and direction they have in the tray.

Do I have to place the pieces in order?

No. Pick any of the three in the tray, in any order. The next three only come once all three are on the board.

Do I have to clear the monsters too?

No. Only the fog has to go. Monsters above the fog can stay where they are.

What happens when no piece fits?

Pieces that fit nowhere turn grey. If none of the pieces left in the tray fits, Gnatz eats them. That costs a star, and the next three pieces of the queue come.

How do I keep all three stars?

Stay close to the level’s target. Under the stars the game shows how much fog is left, how many pieces you have placed and how many are left before the next star falls. A tray that Gnatz has to eat costs a star as well.

What are the grey boulders?

From Tricky on, boulders lie in the fog. The first cleared line through a boulder only cracks it. A second line through it takes it away.

What happens when all stars are gone?

The level is lost, and you start it again from the beginning with the same pieces. Stars from earlier levels stay yours.

Is level 37 the same for everyone?

Yes. The levels come with the app: the same boards and the same pieces in the same order for every player. New levels are only added at the end.

Does Block Munch work offline?

Yes. Beasties works completely offline, and there are no ads.