Puzzles

**Puzzles** are a major game feature in Cat Room. Puzzles, at the most basic level, are matching 3 shapes on a board until a specified goal is met. After a puzzle is successfully completed, the player earns stars based on the score they achieved. It is possible to earn 1 to 3 stars per level. Certain combinations can create marked shapes with special abilities.

Later levels introduce gimmicks such as panels, crates and rats. Puzzles are a primary source of Stars and Coins. There are over 1,000 playable levels in the game.

## Special-ability Blocks

### Row/Column-Cutting Block

A match of **any four shapes** made by swiping **horizontally** results in a horizontal-cutting shape. When matched, it removes all of the shapes in the row it is in.

A **vertical-cutting shape** does the same thing, except it is made by matching vertically and cuts vertically, as the name says.

### Bomb Block

A **bomb block** is formed when **3 shapes** are matched **both vertically and horizontally.** (A match of 5 shapes, but different from the Rainbow Fish because the match is made in two directions.) When matched, the bomb block removes every shape around it, moves down, and removes every shape around it again.

### Rainbow Fish

A match of **5 shapes** vertically or horizontally forms a **Rainbow Fish.** Swapping it with any shape removes all shapes of the same color from the board.

## Special-ability Combinations

When two or more **special-ability blocks** are swapped with eachother, they perform other unique abilities.

### Horizontal + Vertical-cutting block

Creates a cross-cutting block, which **cuts both horizontally and vertically** and activates immediately**.**

### Cutting block + Bomb block

Swapping any cutting block with a bomb block creates a **3x3** formation of **cross-cutting blocks** which activates immediately.

### Bomb block + Bomb block

Creates a **3x3** formation of bomb blocks which activate immediately.

### Rainbow Fish + Special-ability block

Swapping a Rainbow Fish with any special ability block turns all shapes of that color into a special-ability block the same as the one that was swapped with the Fish. They activate immediately.

## Gimmicks

### Panels

Panels take up 1 space on the board behind any shapes. Panels are removed by making a match on top of any panel. Panels come in single and double layers. As the name implies, single-layer panels only require 1 match to be made for the panel to be removed. Double-layer panels appear darker and require 2 matches to be made.

### Cat Drop

Levels with cat drops feature cat heads which must be dropped to the bottom of the board in order to be completed. Cat heads take up 1 space on the board and can be swapped.

### Crates

Crates take up 1 space on the board and cannot be swapped. If a match is made directly next to the crate, it breaks and diseappears.

### Cages

Cages take up 1 space on the board and cannot be swapped. They appear above any shape and can be removed by matching with the shape inside the cage.

### Rats

Rats take up 1 space on the board and cannot be swapped. If a match is made directly next to the rat, it is removed. For every turn a rat isn't removed, a new one spawns right next to any already-existing rat.