"In nature, nothing is created, nothing is lost, everything is transformed." — Antoine Lavoisier, Traité Élémentaire de Chimie (1789)

"In nature, nothing is created, nothing is lost, everything is transformed." — Antoine Lavoisier, Traité Élémentaire de Chimie (1789)

Play Cycle

In Alcyone, you combine elements arranged on a grid to synthesize molecules. When matching molecules are gathered together, a reaction triggers, adding to your score.

Grid

The size of the grid varies depending on your device:

  • iPhone: 5x7 grid

  • iPad: 6x6 grid

Elements are placed across this grid, and the core gameplay revolves around combining these elements to synthesize various molecules.

Synthesis

  • Selecting Cells: When you tap a cell on the grid, other cells in the same row or column that can be combined with it will be highlighted in red.

  • Combining: Tapping one of these red cells synthesizes a molecule. This molecule is formed using the elements from all the cells between them, including the initially selected blue cell and the newly tapped red cell.

  • Result: The newly synthesized molecule appears at the exact location of the red cell you just tapped, and the other cells involved in the synthesis become empty spaces.

Alignment

Once a molecule is synthesized, its state is set to gas, liquid, or solid depending on the temperature. These states follow distinct physical behaviors: liquids and solids sink to the bottom, while gases float to the top.

While cells of the same state do not rearrange among themselves, they follow a strict layering hierarchy:

  • Solids always sink to the very bottom, below both gases and liquids.

  • Liquids sink below gases, but will always rest on top of solids.

Element and functional group cells are treated as gases and move in the exact same manner.

Reaction

  • When the alignment phase is complete, a reaction occurs if identical molecules are located in adjacent cells.

  • These matching molecule cells react and are converted into score, leaving empty spaces behind.

  • Once the reaction ends, the alignment phase triggers once more.

Filling

  • If no identical molecules are adjacent to each other after alignment, the empty spaces are filled with new elements.

  • The elements that fill these gaps are chosen at random from the remaining elements in the element pool.