Homescapes

Homescapes Beginner’s Guide: How to Get Started in This Match 3 Home Decorator

Homescapes probably shouldn’t work as well as it does. A few years ago, if we’d said that a game including elements match three puzzler and house building would be one of the biggest going on mobile, you’d have laughed us out into the street – and rightfully so.

Yet Homescapes, like Gardenscapes before it, has defied all expectations and proven itself a mainstay in the mobile arena. So much so that you probably already play and love it.

If you’re one of the few that haven’t though, this guide is for you. Here we’re going to provide you with a bunch of tips and tricks to get you started in the crazy world of match three home decorating.

How Does Homescapes Work?

Homescapes, at a basic level, basically works like Candy Crush Saga. You’ll work your way through hundreds of levels, matching household items to earn yourself stars.

You’ll then spend these stars on items that you can use to spruce up protagonist Austin’s house. These include fancy new wallpaper, stairs, and furniture.

Unlike many other match three puzzlers though, you can’t revisit a level once you’ve completed it. This is a bit of a shame for those that like to truly master levels, but in many ways it’s not really a big deal.

Because that’s not what Homescapes is about. The match three puzzling is crazy addictive and fun but you’re really here for the house decoration. So instead of complaining, go and earn some more stars so you can get Austin a lovely new TV.

What do the Power-Ups do?

There are four different power-ups in Homescapes, and the work as so:

  • Rocket: If you match four items vertically or horizontally, you’ll earn yourself a rocket. You can then pick the direction the rocket fires in, at which point it will fire forward and backwards. That clears both rows.
  • Bomb: Match five items in a sort of L shape and you’ll get a bomb. These blocks up everything around the bomb across two squares. We recommend trying to get the bomb in the middle of the grid to maximise its damage.
  • Paper Plane: Match four items in a square and you’ll get the Paper Plane, which destroys four tiles above, below, and to the side. It also flies to a random tile on the board and destroys that too. Nifty!
  • Rainbow Ball: Match five tiles horizontally or vertically and you’ll get the Rainbow Ball, the most powerful power-up in Homescapes. This destroys every single item on the board, which is incredible.

Miscellaneous Tips and Tricks:

  • Focus on the goal: Each level has a requirement you have to fulfil to beat it, and usually it’s collecting a certain number of a particular item on the board. Focus on collecting that, as high scores and all that nonsense doesn’t matter here.
  • Follow the to-do list: You have a to-do list, which provides objectives to complete. These are pretty much stuff you have to do around the house, and we recommend chasing them as that’s the fastest way to progress.
  • Save Boosters for when you need them: As you progress, you’ll earn boosters. These are a lot like power-ups, except you can guarantee getting it by bringing it into a level with you. These are difficult to come by, so we recommend only using them when you’re really struggling.