Annihilate is a strategic puzzle game where your objective is to clear a grid by colliding pairs of matching colored atoms. Played entirely in your browser with simple mouse controls, this HTML5 title challenges you to think several moves ahead.
Much like in classic Sokoban-style games, each move has consequences, and you must navigate an increasingly complex board filled with obstacles.
The game starts with simple, open layouts, allowing you to get a feel for the core mechanics. As you progress through the levels, Annihilate introduces new challenges that demand more complex solutions.
You'll soon find your path blocked by static walls and deadly lasers that disintegrate any atom that passes through them.
These elements force you to carefully plan the sequence of your moves. The order in which you eliminate pairs becomes crucial, as one atom might be needed as a temporary backstop for another. The puzzles are designed to test your spatial reasoning and problem-solving skills.
Understanding how the atoms move is key to success. When you select an atom and a direction, it will travel in a straight line until it hits the edge of the grid, a wall, an obstacle, or another atom. There's no stopping mid-way.
This simple rule creates surprisingly deep gameplay. You must use other atoms as temporary barriers to position the one you're moving.
The challenge lies in clearing a path so that two same-colored atoms have a direct line of sight to collide and annihilate each other from the board.
You can play Annihilate for free directly in your web browser. There's no need for any downloads or installations.
Because it runs on HTML5, it works seamlessly on most modern devices and can be played on networks at school or work that might block other gaming sites.
The goal in Annihilate is to clear every level by matching all the pairs of atoms. To complete a puzzle, you must make every atom collide with its same-colored partner.
Controls are handled entirely with the mouse.
You can either click and drag an atom in the direction you want it to move, or click an atom to select it and then click on a tile in a valid horizontal or vertical path to send it moving.
Atoms move in a straight line until they hit the edge of the playing area, an obstacle, or another atom. They cannot be stopped partway through their movement. Plan your moves carefully to line up two matching atoms for a collision.
Later levels introduce obstacles like walls and lasers. You must navigate around these elements to solve the puzzle, often using other atoms as temporary stoppers to position the piece you want to move.
Plan Ahead - Before making a move, trace the path in your mind. The order in which you eliminate pairs is often the key to the solution. Use Other Atoms - You can use atoms of a different color as temporary walls.
Slide an atom against another to stop it exactly where you need it. Clear Blockers First - If one atom is blocking a critical path for several others, prioritize matching it to open up the board.
Corner Caution - Be careful not to trap an atom in a corner or against a wall where it can no longer move into its partner. Reset is a Tool - Don't get frustrated if you get stuck.
Hitting the reset button gives you a fresh look at the puzzle and often helps you see the correct sequence of moves.
Work from the Outside In - Sometimes it's easier to solve a puzzle by clearing the atoms along the edges first, giving you more space to maneuver the ones in the center.
