How to play Merge Drop: Critter Jar

What Merge Drop is

Merge Drop: Critter Jar is a cosy physics merge game for iPhone and iPad. You drop cute critters into a glass jar; when two of the same size touch they merge into the next one up, and your job is to keep the pile below the dotted line. It is coming soon to the App Store, and this page explains how it plays.

Your first game

Tap Play. The first time, a short How to play screen opens; close it to start.
Drag a finger left or right. The critter at the top slides with it and a dotted guide shows where it will land.
Lift your finger to drop it. A quick tap anywhere drops it at that spot.
When two critters of the same size touch they merge into the next size up and the score counts up.
Keep going until the jar overflows, then look at your results and play again.

Dropping, throwing and bank shots

Release slowly and the critter drops straight down. Swipe down fast as you let go and you throw it: it flies with a trail and can bounce off either wall of the jar. A thrown critter that merges straight away earns a nice-shot bonus, and one that bounces off the glass first earns a bank shot bonus. The bubble at the top right shows which critter comes next.

How merging works

Every critter set has 11 sizes. Only the five smallest arrive as pieces to drop; the bigger ones exist only by merging.
Merging in quick succession builds a combo, and every merge fills the golden ring beside the next-piece bubble. When it is full, the next piece is a Wild Egg that merges with anything it touches.
About one new critter in eighty is a shiny, which doubles the points of that merge.
From the thirteenth drop, the odd long, flat or spiky curveball turns up. It still merges with its normal twin.
If a critter settles above the dotted line, a ten-second countdown starts. Clear it in time and the jar recovers; run out and the game ends.

Pop Party

Pop Party is a second, timed mode with the same drop and throw controls. Critters do not merge: get three or more of the same kind touching and they pop. You start with one minute and every pop puts time back on the clock, so chain the pops for cascades. It has its own best score and its own leaderboards.

Collect, complete and climb

Collection: 13 sets of 11 critters (143 in all), from the free Meadow set to Ocean, Farm, Jungle, Arctic, Sweet Shop, Space and Fantasy, plus festive sets that can only be unlocked while their season is on. Find shinies to star them in your collection.
Daily missions: three a day, the same for every player, each paying coins when you claim it.
Levels: every game earns XP, and each level pays coins and occasional power-ups.
Leaderboards: Play and Pop Party, worldwide or for your country. They reset every 72 hours, and your name is generated for you - you never type one.
Power-ups: twelve of them, from Tidy Up, Pop! and Shake to Magnet, Slow-Mo, Safety Net, Double Score and Moon Gravity.

Ads, purchases and your progress

Merge Drop is free to download and supported by ads. Rewarded videos are always optional, and the ads between games never appear during one. A one-time Remove Ads purchase stops the between-game breaks; optional bundles and coin packs are also available, and nothing you buy is random. Playing works offline. Signing in with Apple is optional and only lets you keep your progress across phones.

Questions people ask

Is it free, and do I need an account?

It is free to download and play, supported by optional ads, and no account is needed. Signing in with Apple is optional and only keeps your progress safe across phones.

How do I throw instead of drop?

Drag to aim as usual, then flick your finger quickly downward as you let go. A slow release is a normal drop. Bounce a throw off the glass into a matching critter for a bank shot bonus.

What is the Wild Egg?

Every merge fills the golden ring beside the next-piece bubble, faster in quick chains. When it is full the next piece is a Wild Egg, which merges with whatever it touches first and bumps it up one size.

How does a game end, and can I carry on?

If a critter stays above the dotted line for ten seconds in total, you are out of room. You can continue for coins or by watching an optional ad, up to three times a game, which tidies up half the jar.

What are Pop Party and the other critter sets for?

Pop Party is a second, timed mode where matching groups of three or more pop. Sets give the same eleven sizes and scores a different look, so they are not a difficulty setting.

How often do the leaderboards reset?

Every 72 hours, separately for Play and Pop Party, worldwide or for your country. Names are generated for you; the dice button previews another.

Does allowing tracking show me more ads?

No. The choice only changes whether the ads are personalised, never how many you see.

Does it work offline, and will I lose progress on a new phone?

Playing works offline; the leaderboards, ads and shop need a connection. Progress lives on the phone, so sign in with Apple in Settings to keep it across phones.