EXAPUNKS

EXAPUNKS

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HACK*MATCH TIPS AND TRICKS
By Gnarslogge
Everything you need to know to get good at HACK*MATCH and secure the 10k, 50k and 100k achievements.
   
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FOREWORD
HACK*MATCH is a fun little time-waster, and I absolutely love it's inclusion in the game. I've always been a huge fan of fast-paced arcade puzzlers, so I dumped some hours into this bad boy.

Although that 100k achievement looks intimidating, it's not as hard as it looks. I noticed there are no guides for HACK*MATCH specifically, and after getting the achievement I feel qualified to write such a guide. Anyway here's everything you need to know.
DESCRIPTION OF GAME
HACK*MATCH is a matching mini game in EXAPUNKS, which you gain access to upon completing the Sawayama WonderDisc hack.

Colored blocks (and occasionally bombs) will slowly push their way in from the top, and you are required to match four or more blocks of the same color to clear them. Bombs must be matched with another bomb of the same color, but cannot be chained, and must be cleared in pairs. The game ends when any of these blocks reach the bottom of the playing field.

Your EXA is capable of moving left / right, picking up / dropping individual blocks, and swapping the topmost block in a column with the one immediately underneath it. You also have the option to speed up the blocks, but I doubt you'll want to do that often.
CONTROLS
W / S - Move up / down (only used in menu)
Enter - Confirm option in menu / leave tutorial screen
Escape - Exit game
A / D - Move left / right
J - Pick up the top block of your current column / drop currently held block
K - Swap the top block of your current column with the block immediately underneath it
L - Speed up the blocks
NOTE ON TERMINOLOGY
In the guide I will be using some jargon, here it is to keep you oriented.

I want to clarify I use words like drop, fall, top, down etc. However the gravity is flipped; It's simply easier for me to use these words to describe. So the 'top' block is actually the very bottom block of the column, nearest to your EXA.

BLOCK - Self explanatory.

BOMB - Special blocks that occasionally enter the playing field.

STACK - All the blocks currently on the playing field.

SURFACE - The topmost blocks of any given column.

COLUMN - Usually refers specifically to the column your EXA is currently in.

ROW - Used to refer to a specific layer in the column, top-down.

MATCH - Any group of 4 or more blocks of the same color. Pairs for bombs.

CLEAR - When a match you built exits the playing field.

CHAIN - A series of matches performed back-to-back.

GRAB - Pick up the topmost block of the column.

DROP - Dropping the currently held block onto the column.

SWAP - Exchanging the topmost block of a column with the block underneath it.
POINT SYSTEM
  • The only way to score points is to build matches.
  • There is no way to lose points.
  • The first 4 blocks cleared in a chain yield 100 points each. Every subsequent block yields 200 points. The multiplier caps out at 2X.
  • Bomb clears yield no points whatsoever, but matches that result from a bomb clear will.
LEARN YOUR BUTTON COMBOS!
In order to keep up with the blocks, you need to be matching as quickly as possible. So right off the bat, the most important thing you'll need to know is your button combos. The less time you have to think about how to manipulate the blocks, the better.

While you can only directly grab the top block of the column, you can order grabs, drops and swaps in such a way to reach 3 rows in. This allows you to make all sorts of matches you may not have considered otherwise. Here are several examples of button combos, with GIFs to compliment. Each combo will have two GIFs, one for when the combo is performed without a held block, and one for with a block. Whenever possible, I tried to highlight how the combo can be useful in the GIF.

They will be ordered from least moves to highest; the first few I feel are common sense, but included them anyway to be thorough. Also note all of these are just alternating J and K; however, knowing exactly how many times to do so and which button to start with for a given scenario saves precious time. The GIFs are also slowed down significantly, so you can see exactly what's happening. In reality these combos should be performed in fractions of a second.
J K
K J
J K J
K J K
J K J K
K J K J
J K J K J

K J K J K
CLEAR MORE BLOCKS AT A TIME
To get a sick score you'll need to take full advantage of your matches whenever possible. As you play and build more matches, you'll develop the pattern recognition necessary to see them quickly and react quickly. So don't feel discouraged if you struggle, it's a skill you need to actively practice to acquire. Keep in mind that although 4-block matches yield less points, they're quick and easy to make, and if things get hectic try to prioritize the easiest matches above all others.

Blocks can be cleared by building a group of at least 4 adjacent blocks of the same color. Whenever a match is made, all blocks in the match will briefly lock in place, during which they cannot be manipulated. After about half a second or so the match will clear.

Any blocks that are on top of a match that gets cleared will fall down, and any new matches created in this manner will be cleared as well. This can results in huge chains of clears, although it's difficult to predict when this will happen.










During the brief half-second that a match lingers on the board, it's possible to add more blocks to it before it clears. It's easiest to do this with a swap move, but there's just enough time to grab either of the topmost blocks from the immediate left/right columns and add them to the match, assuming they are of the same color.
BOMB MANAGEMENT
One thing I haven't discussed much yet is the bombs. They must match with a bomb of the same color, and will only match in pairs. So if you have 3 bombs of the same color and link them, only 2 of the bombs will clear. Every time a bomb is cleared, every block of the same color currently on the playing field is cleared as well. Keep in mind bomb clears result in no points, but any matches made as a direct result of a bomb clear will give points. So don't want around for more blocks to show up before performing a bomb clear, as it can put you in a worse position with no extra points to show for it.

Bombs are tricky; they can save you from a tight spot, or they can be the very thing that puts you there. Since you can't match with normal blocks, you'll be forced to move the bombs out of the way repeatedly until you get one to match it with. Sometimes the RNG will just screw you over and feed you only one bomb of every type, clogging up your stack until you can get rid of a few or potentially ending your game.

Despite this, bombs are often the only way to save you from almost certain death. For this reason I recommend saving a pair when you have it. Keep them at least one column apart, so any matches you make won't link them together without you intending to.


If you ever end up with more 3 or more of the same color of bomb in the playing field, use a pair. Likewise, if you end up with more than 2 pairs of bombs or more, it's best to just get rid of some of them, with the option of saving one of the pairs. This doesn't apply only to pairs, however. If you have a pair and there are several other bombs on-screen, just use the pair. As far as I'm concerned it simply isn't worth juggling more bombs than you need to, as it becomes much easier to lose control.


The worst part about bombs is what I like to call a 'pair drought', when you get one of each color bomb, but no others to match them with. To deal with this, you're just gonna have to stick it out until some bombs show up. The only real advice I can give is to be smart about your matches, and keep the bombs some distance apart, instead of all bunched together. This way, if you need to access a block underneath a bomb, you won't have to move several out of the way first. Try to build your matches inside of the stack, as it's often faster than digging out blocks and building them on the surface.
CONCLUSION
I tried to make this as informative as possible, so hopefully this can be of some value. Please leave feedback, as this is my first guide. Below is a bonus video of a 108k game, so you can see all these strategies in action. Go get those high scores baby!