Games / Puzzle Games / Moon Jar / Guide
Moon Jar
Drop sleepy little moons into a glass jar. When two of the same kind touch, they merge into a bigger one. Keep merging up the line and, if you're tidy about it, you'll grow a Sun.
What is Moon Jar?
Moon Jar is a drop and merge puzzle. You choose where each moon falls, physics does the rest, and matching moons that bump into each other fuse into the next size up. The jar slowly fills, and the game ends when moons pile up over the rim.
Our twist is the tip. Every 15 drops the jar leans over to one side for a few seconds, everything slides, and any merges that happen while it's tilting score double. It turns a careful stacking game into one where you plan for a little chaos. Moon Jar is free and runs in your browser on phone, tablet or computer.
How to play
The moon you're holding hangs above the jar. Move it left or right, then let go to drop it. In the top corner, under NEXT, you can see the two moons coming after this one. Match two of the same moon and they merge into the next one on the list. Two Suns merge into a Supernova and disappear, which frees up a lot of room.
The game ends when any moon sits above the rim of the jar for about two seconds. You'll hear a warning tick when one is over the line, so you usually have a moment to fix it.
The ten moons, smallest to largest
| Moon | Points for making it |
|---|---|
| Pebble Moon | Dropped only |
| Ice Moon | 3 |
| Rust Moon | 6 |
| Moss Moon | 10 |
| Ringed Moon | 16 |
| Coral Moon | 25 |
| Storm Moon | 38 |
| Amber Moon | 55 |
| Ember Moon | 80 |
| Sun | 120 |
| Supernova (two Suns) | 1,000 |
You'll only ever be handed the five smallest moons, Pebble up to Ringed. Everything from Coral Moon up has to be built.
Controls on phone and computer
On a phone or tablet, slide your finger to aim and lift it to drop. With a mouse, move to aim and click to drop. On a keyboard, use Left and Right (or A and D) to aim, and Space, Down or Enter to drop. Esc or P pauses.
Scoring, chains and the tipping jar
Chains
When merges happen quickly one after another, they form a chain. Each step in the chain adds 50 percent to the merge's base points, up to five times the base on the ninth step. Reach a chain of three or more and you get an Eclipse bonus of 15 points for every step in the chain, up to ten.
Tipping
A row of dots along the top counts your drops. After the 15th, the jar tips about 20 degrees for just under four seconds, then rights itself. The direction alternates each time. Any merge during the tip, or for a moment after, scores x2, and that includes Eclipse bonuses and Supernovas. The game also goes easy on overflow during a tip, so a moon that pokes over the rim while the jar is leaning won't end your game unless it's flung way up.
Modes
- Play: the classic jar. Your best score is saved and posted to the leaderboard if you're signed in.
- Daily Jar: the same sequence of moons for everybody that day, so scores are directly comparable. It changes at midnight UTC and you can replay it.
- Zen: no game over. Moons that sit over the rim simply go poof. It's a nice way to practice building big moons without pressure.
The Shelf: jars, moon sets and the Moon book
The Shelf holds your unlocks. They change the look of the game, not the rules.
| Unlock | How to get it |
|---|---|
| Frosted jar | Grow a Coral Moon |
| Mint Glass jar | Merge 150 moons in total |
| Lantern jar | Play 3 Daily Jars |
| Honey Pot jar | Grow an Amber Moon |
| Starlight jar | Grow a Sun |
| Pastel moons | Grow a Ringed Moon |
| Paper Cut moons | Merge 300 moons in total |
| Neon moons | Grow a Storm Moon |
| Gemstone moons | Grow an Ember Moon |
The Moon book fills in each moon the first time you make it, so you can see how close you are to the Sun.
Tips for growing a Sun
- Pick a corner for your big moons. Keep the largest moon in one bottom corner and build smaller sizes stepping away from it. Then each new merge lands next to the moon it needs to meet.
- Use the NEXT preview. You can see two moons ahead. If the next one matches something buried on the left, drop the current one on the right so the path stays open.
- Don't bury small moons. A Pebble trapped under an Amber Moon is stuck there for a long time. Drop the tiny ones near other tiny ones.
- Save merges for the tip. When the drop counter is two or three away from full, line up pairs that are almost touching on the low side. When the jar leans, they slide together and score double.
- Know which way it'll lean. The tip alternates sides, so if it went left last time it goes right next. Stack lightly on the side it's about to drop toward.
- Let chains happen. A merge creates a bigger moon that can touch its own match right away. Set up stairs of sizes, like Rust next to Moss next to Ringed, and one drop can roll up three steps for an Eclipse.
- Watch the rim, not the score. When you hear the warning tick, drop something small that will merge on top of the tall pile and shrink it, rather than adding a new moon beside it.
- Practice in Zen. Without a game over you can try building Ember Moons and Suns and learn how much room each size really takes.
Questions
Is Moon Jar free?
Yes. It's free to play in your browser on phone, tablet or computer, with no download.
What is a drop and merge game?
A puzzle where you drop pieces into a container and two matching pieces combine into a bigger one. The goal is to keep merging up to the largest piece before the container overflows.
What is the biggest moon in Moon Jar?
The Sun. Two Suns merge into a Supernova worth 1,000 points, and both disappear from the jar.
Why does the jar tip over?
Every 15 drops the jar tips for a few seconds. Merges during the tip score double, so it's the best moment for big combos.
Can you play Moon Jar without losing?
Yes. Zen mode has no game over. Moons that sit over the rim just vanish.
How does the game end?
When a moon stays above the jar's rim for about two seconds outside of a tip.
