Merge Party

Merge Party is a merge puzzle developed and published by UNIT5, a casual game studio based in Seoul, South Korea. Unlike the studio's other titles it was released on Google Play only, in February 2021, where it is free to download and rated Everyone.

Merge Party is played by dropping objects into a container. Two identical objects that touch combine into a single larger one, and repeating that from the smallest object upward is how the watermelon at the top of the chain is reached. The rule takes one sentence to learn and one session to appreciate.

The pressure in Merge Party comes from space rather than from a timer. Objects settle where they land and stack up as the container fills, so a drop that fails to merge costs room that will be needed later. Clearing that pile back down is a matter of setting up merges rather than of speed.

Choose where to drop

A round of Merge Party is played one drop at a time. You pick the horizontal position and release the object, and it falls into the container and settles wherever the pile lets it. Nothing can be moved once it has landed, so the decision that matters is made before the drop, not after.

Merge identical objects

Two identical objects that touch combine into a single larger one, and that larger object can merge again with its own match. Starting from the smallest object, repeating this is how the chain climbs through the different objects to the watermelon at the top. A merge also frees the space the two objects were using, which is often worth more than the progress itself.

Keep the pile low

There is no timer in Merge Party, so the only pressure is space. Every object that lands without finding a partner stays in the container and takes up room you will want later. Dropping matching objects near each other, and keeping the largest ones to one side, is what keeps the pile manageable as the container fills.