Vega Mix: Sea Adventures

Vega Mix sends its heroes to the sea floor and gives them somewhere to go: a sunken ship first, then an ancient city, and after that a lighthouse waiting to be restored. The three-in-a-row boards are the means of getting there, and the locations change often enough that the run never settles into one look.

The board carries what the game calls unique mechanics, and the practical effect is that new pieces keep arriving rather than the same set getting harder. That makes the opening minute of an unfamiliar level worth spending on observation — the games that catch people out here are the ones where a new element was treated like an old one.

Vivid effects and a story that keeps moving make it a good pick when you want the puzzle to be part of something rather than the whole thing.

1. Swap two neighbouring pieces to line up three or more of a kind.
2. Watch what a new location introduces before committing moves.
3. Clear each level goal to move the expedition on.
4. Follow the route: the ship, the ancient city, and then the lighthouse.

When the scenery changes, assume the rules did too. This game introduces elements by location rather than by tutorial, so the cheapest way to learn one is to spend a couple of low-stakes moves watching it work.