Games / Puzzle Games / Brick Bloom / Guide
Brick Bloom
Aim once, let go, and watch a stream of seeds bounce through rows of numbered pods. Every pod you break turns into a flower, and the rows creep closer every turn.
What is Brick Bloom?
Brick Bloom is a balls vs bricks game, the kind where you fire a volley of balls at blocks with numbers on them. Here the balls are seeds and the bricks are flower pods. Each hit knocks one off the number, and when a pod hits zero it bursts into a flower that drops into your garden at the bottom of the screen. After every volley the pods move down a row and a new row appears at the top. If a pod reaches the bottom row, your garden is overgrown and the run is over.
It's free, plays in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer, and there's nothing to install. Your score is simply the level you reach.
How to play
- Aim, then release. All your seeds fire one after another along that line and bounce off the walls, the ceiling and the pods.
- Each pod's number is how many hits it takes to burst. New pods start with the current level number, so they get tougher as you go.
- Every new row has a green +1 ring. Pass a seed through it and you'll have one more seed from the next volley on.
- Your next volley fires from wherever your first seed landed this time.
- The level goes up by one after every volley, then everything shifts down a row.
The board is 7 columns wide and 9 rows deep, so you have a little breathing room early on. It goes faster than you'd think.
Controls
| Action | Phone or tablet | Computer |
|---|---|---|
| Aim | Drag on the board | Move the mouse, or Left/Right (A/D) |
| Shoot | Let go | Click, or Space, Enter or Up |
| Cancel a shot | Drag back to the launcher and let go | Same with the mouse |
| Fast forward | Tap the board or the x2 button | F |
| Pause / mute | Buttons | P or Esc / M |
Long volleys speed themselves up to triple speed after about 14 seconds, so you're never stuck watching seeds rattle around.
Special pods and pickups
| Thing on the board | From level | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| +1 ring | 1 | Adds one seed to your volley for the rest of the run |
| Pollen pod (round, glowing) | 3 | Explodes when it bursts and hits all 8 cells around it hard |
| Zapper (row or column) | 6 | Each seed that touches it deals 1 damage to every pod in that row or column, then it's gone after the volley |
| Tough pods | 8 | Some pods start with double the level number |
| Golden pod | 8 | Rare. Worth 10 nectar instead of 1 and blooms a Golden Orchid |
Pollen explosions do damage based on the level, so they stay useful all game. If an explosion bursts another pollen pod, that one goes off too. That's a pollen chain, and long chains are how you clear half the board in one shot.
Shovels: your second chance
When a pod reaches the bottom row, you can use a shovel to dig out the bottom three rows and keep going. You start with one, you earn another every 10 levels in a run, and your first Daily Garden of the day gives you one more. You can use up to two shovels in a single run.
Modes and the daily garden
Play is the standard endless run. The Daily Garden gives everyone the same rows in the same order that day, which makes it a fair race for the daily leaderboard. Daily games build a streak. Signed in players can post scores from the trophy button.
Flower Album and Seed Pouch
Every flower you bloom is recorded in the Flower Album. New kinds of flower start appearing as you reach higher levels: Daisy from level 1, Tulip from 4, Poppy from 9, Bluebell from 14, Rose from 19, Sunflower from 25, Lotus from 32 and Moonflower from 40. Two are special. Cosmos only blooms from pods burst by a pollen chain of 3 or more, and the Golden Orchid only comes from golden pods.
Every pod gives you nectar, which you spend in the Seed Pouch on new seed looks: Sunseed (40), Berry (100), Dewdrop (200), Bumble (350), Firefly (550) and Stardust (800). Pollen Puff unlocks when you pop a 6 pod pollen chain, and the Golden Seed when you reach level 40. Seeds are cosmetic, so they all fly the same.
Tips and strategy
Rings first, almost always
Your seed count is the only thing that grows as fast as the pods do. Early on, an angle that collects the +1 ring is usually better than one that does a bit more damage. A run where you miss five rings in the first twenty levels gets very hard by level 40.
Get seeds above the pods
The best volleys slip through a gap and bounce around on top of the rows, hitting pods from above over and over. Look for a gap at the edges and shoot shallow angles off the side wall to get there.
Aim at pollen pods on purpose
A pollen pod burst deals much more damage to its neighbors than your seeds do one at a time. When one sits in the middle of a cluster, put your volley into it. Two pollen pods next to each other are a chain waiting to happen.
Watch where the first seed lands
Your next shot comes from where the first seed of this volley lands. If you need to be on the left next turn, a shot that drops its first seed on the left sets you up.
Clear the bottom row before the top
The run only ends when a pod reaches the last row. When things get tight, stop chasing the big numbers up top and deal with whatever is closest to the bottom.
Don't waste zappers
A row zapper hits every pod in its row each time a seed touches it, and it's used up after that volley. When you have lots of seeds, sending them through a zapper in a crowded row does steady damage everywhere at once.
Save a shovel for later
A shovel used at level 15 buys a few levels. One used at level 45 might buy just as many, and those levels are worth more on the leaderboard. If you can survive without it early, do.
Questions
Is Brick Bloom free?
Yes. It's a free balls vs bricks game that plays in your browser on phone, tablet or computer.
How do you get more balls in Brick Bloom?
Shoot through the green +1 rings. Each one adds a seed to every volley for the rest of the run.
What ends a game of Brick Bloom?
A pod reaching the bottom row. You can use a shovel to clear the bottom three rows and keep going, up to twice per run.
How do you unlock Cosmos?
Set off a pollen chain of three or more pollen pods. Pods burst by that chain bloom as Cosmos.
Do different seeds change the game?
No. Seeds from the Seed Pouch only change how your volley looks.
How is Brick Bloom scored?
The level you reach. The game also tracks pods burst, seeds and your best pollen chain.
