Taptiles

Overview

Taptiles is a 3D puzzle game developed by Arkadium and released digitally (as a free-to-play title) by Microsoft Studios for the PC on October 26, 2012. It was later published by Arkadium themselves, both as a free-to-play title (via Windows Store on November 25, 2016) and a premium title (via Steam on January 24, 2019). It was also released by Arkadium as a free-to-play title for Android and iOS devices.

Originally released as an official launch title for the Windows Store for Windows 8 (alongside Microsoft Solitaire Collection, Microsoft Mahjong, and Microsoft Minesweeper), Taptiles is a successor to the studio's earlier browser game Mahjongg Dimensions. It is a unique 3D take on traditional mahjong solitaire where players must clear boards by matching exposed pairs of cube-shaped tiles (rotating the board itself if necessary). Players gain bonus points by matching chains of tiles at a rapid pace.

Along with the casual "Relaxation" mode, the game includes two timed modes: "Origins" (which focuses on solving large puzzles) and "Dash" (which focuses on solving small puzzles at a rapid pace, with bonus power-up tiles). The game also includes a Daily Challenge mode, which feature unique gameplay changes (such as "Tap Tower", in which the board rises from the bottom and must be cleared before they reach the top).

The original version of the game supports Xbox Live functionality (including leaderboards and achievements) and has in-game advertisements. The self-published versions of the game remove Xbox Live functionality, with the Steam version also removing in-game advertisements. The Steam version also adds VR support.

The game later received a story-based spin-off on Facebook, called Taptiles Saga.