Threes!

Threes! is an acclaimed puzzle game known for its excellent mechanics, charming graphics, and catchy soundtrack, with a single game mode providing endless challenge. Players combine numbered tiles on a 4x4 board, with increasing difficulty, to create higher values, limited only by the game board's size. Threes! is a delightful and engaging experience, free of in-app purchases, offering an adorable cast of characters and a heartwarming atmosphere.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,926 reviews

music113 positive mentions

monetization21 negative mentions

Fantastic game with well-thought-out mechanics that enhance replayability.
Charming art and sound design that adds personality to the gameplay.
Addictive and easy to pick up, making it a great time killer.

Frequent crashes and slow loading times hinder the overall experience.
Heavy battery drain, making it difficult to play for extended periods.
Annoying prompts to sign in after every game disrupt the flow of play.

music
172 mentions
66 % positive mentions
32 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its charm and catchiness, with many reviewers noting its ability to enhance the overall experience. While the soundtrack is often described as excellent and well-composed, some players find it repetitive over time, leading to a desire for more variety. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's appeal, creating a delightful atmosphere that complements its engaging gameplay.
- “The soundtrack is from a composer that worked on Mass Effect 2, and it shows because it really is excellent.”
- “The music is fun, and the voices are adorable.”
- “The music and sound effects are top notch; they really gave the game a huge amount of personality.”
- “I didn't see one, but I already know how to play and it was annoying, especially because you can't turn the music off during it.”
- “The soundtrack (or at least the 30 seconds I suffered before finding out how to turn it off) is also beyond irritating.”
- “Even if you turn off music and sound effects in the game, it doesn't allow the audio from my podcast app to keep playing.”
gameplay
109 mentions
61 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is widely praised for its simplicity, addictiveness, and depth, offering a rewarding experience that encourages both quick sessions and strategic play. Players appreciate the charming aesthetics and music, which enhance the overall enjoyment, while some note that the game can be unforgiving and occasionally hindered by random elements. Overall, it is regarded as a standout puzzle game with mechanics that elevate it above similar titles like 2048.
- “The gameplay is simple but deep, and the aesthetics are top-notch.”
- “Everything from its charming look to its catchy music and down to its deceptively simple gameplay makes for a totally fun and addictive game for short bursts of play time.”
- “Beautifully simple, and elegantly crafted gameplay makes for an addictive, fun experience.”
- “Sometimes, though, it drives me crazy when it spoils half-hour careful gameplay by placing a series of next tiles into worst ever positions.”
- “It interrupts gameplay every few moments with pointless fanfares and unnecessary embroidered fripperies that serve no purpose.”
- “Gameplay isn't the up + right spam of the clones.”
graphics
77 mentions
57 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are widely praised for their charming and cute art style, which enhances the overall aesthetic and gameplay experience. Many users appreciate the high-quality visuals and sound design, noting that they contribute to a delightful atmosphere, although some report performance issues and battery drain. Overall, the graphics are considered a standout feature, making the game visually appealing and engaging.
- “The game is gorgeous with a really cute art style.”
- “The atmosphere of the game is also great; the music and visuals make for a very pleasant gaming experience.”
- “The graphics are a joy and the mechanism is genius and addictive.”
- “Seems like a clumsy port, runs terribly slow with badly scaled graphics.”
- “I've heard so much about this game and had such high expectations for it but I'm just shocked at the quality of the graphics - I'm on a stock Galaxy S5.”
- “The graphic looks kind of low definition on my N4.”
optimization
44 mentions
27 % positive mentions
57 % neutral mentions
16 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance improvements after updates, while others continue to face issues such as stuttering and battery drain. Many users express a desire for further optimizations, particularly for specific devices and resolutions, indicating that while the game is enjoyable, it still requires attention to enhance its performance and efficiency.
- “The latest update has greatly improved the performance and battery life as well!”
- “I love the new optimizations, this game is so smooth!”
- “The clean lines and flawless performance are complemented by entertaining music and voices.”
- “For a game so addictive and a hardware platform so popular and mature, this performance is unacceptable.”
- “This is the most poorly optimized Android app I've ever used.”
- “The game is really fun and fluid, but noticeably not optimized for 1080p displays.”
monetization
36 mentions
25 % positive mentions
17 % neutral mentions
58 % negative mentions
The monetization model of the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating the option to purchase an ad-free version for a reasonable price, eliminating intrusive ads and microtransactions. However, some users express frustration over persistent ads even in the paid version and the presence of merchandise advertisements, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the game is praised for its straightforward pricing and lack of in-app purchases, making it a refreshing choice for players seeking an uninterrupted gaming experience.
- “It's nice to pay for a game and enjoy it ad-free with no in-game purchases.”
- “No in-game purchases or limits on play, just a great game.”
- “Have to praise the developer for no in-app purchases.”
- “I had the paid ad-free version, but it kept installing/download ads in my cache folders, which used loads of my phone's storage and also used loads of my data allowance.”
- “I don't appreciate being spammed with merchandise ads, especially since it's the paid version.”
- “Update: I didn't pay for this game to have product advertisements shown to me every time I leave the app.”
stability
34 mentions
12 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
88 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern among users, with many reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and various glitches across different devices. While some players have experienced improvements after updates, others continue to face issues that hinder gameplay, such as slow performance and unresponsive screens. Overall, the game is described as fun and addictive, but its stability problems detract from the experience.
- “The game runs fantastic on my Galaxy S5; it's not buggy at all.”
- “Ahh, everything is fixed; it runs great!”
- “Still runs great on my HTC One (M7) as well.”
- “The game is buggy with semi-frequent crashes and really the only solid thing is the art.”
- “Game is very fun and addictive but it causes random freezes, crashes often and forces a restart of my Nexus 4 with Android 5 Lollipop!”
- “The updates are making it more buggy!”
replayability
15 mentions
53 % positive mentions
27 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
The game is widely praised for its exceptional replayability, with many users highlighting its well-designed mechanics that balance challenge and fun. Players find it easy to learn yet difficult to master, contributing to its addictive nature and high replay value. Overall, the game offers endless replayability, making it a worthwhile investment.
- “Fantastic simple game that's easy to learn but hard to master with very high replay value.”
- “Clearly, a lot of thought went into making this game a perfect balance between challenging, fun, and replayable.”
- “Endlessly replayable, totally worth the money.”
- “Ridiculous replayability.”
- “I hope the replay value lasts.”
- “Clones like fives don't have this issue, and have even added other game modes to increase replay value.”
humor
14 mentions
93 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its infectious charm, hilarious sound effects, and quirky character designs, contributing to an overall delightful experience. Players appreciate the combination of beautiful graphics, engaging music, and amusing animations that enhance the gameplay. However, some users noted technical issues that detracted from their enjoyment.
- “Where Threes shines over 2048 is Threes' infectious charm and humor.”
- “From the beautiful art and music to the hilarious sounds and descriptions, this game has a great personality.”
- “Simple concept made amazing with a great soundtrack and funny quirky characters!”
grinding
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game can be tedious and boring, particularly for those seeking a more casual experience. While the game features adorable characters and charming graphics, many players find the gameplay repetitive and lacking in excitement, leading to a sense of monotony.
- “That's really tedious!”
- “Boring and tedious after that.”
- “Found it tedious and dull.”
story
6 mentions
33 % positive mentions
17 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The story behind the development of both 2048 and Threes has garnered appreciation from players, particularly for Gabriele Cirulli's journey in creating 2048. However, while the narrative of the games is engaging, some users feel that the gameplay lacks depth and progression, leading to diminished replay value once players reach their personal best.
- “Read about the story of its development and love the dev even more.”
- “After reading Gabriele Cirulli's story on 2048, a great game based on Threes, I decided to give the original a try.”
- “However, as the mission/game style never evolves or levels up every time you play, there is little reason to keep coming back once you hit your personal ceiling.”
- “I had played 2048 for several months, and had heard the story about how they ripped off Threes.”
- “I stumbled across Gabriele Cirulli's 2048 (the web version) first, then came across Puzzlejuice's story about the making of Threes.”
atmosphere
4 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, characterized by a delightful combination of engaging music and visuals that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the unique and quirky ambiance created by charming characters and an endearing soundtrack, contributing to a memorable gaming environment.
- “The atmosphere of the game is great; the music and visuals create a very pleasant gaming experience.”
- “Great game that has a lot of atmosphere.”
- “This game creates a unique, quirky atmosphere with adorable numbered characters and an odd but lovable soundtrack.”
character development
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highlighted by charming character designs and engaging sliding controls, which enhance the overall experience. The combination of adorable visuals and a well-crafted audio backdrop contributes to a delightful atmosphere, while the underlying puzzle mechanics add depth to the gameplay.
- “The sliding controls and character designs are a delight, and the puzzle game beneath it is brilliant.”
- “The adorable character design, the flawless audio accompaniment, and the sheer overload of mathematical niceties are more than I can handle.”