Zoo Keeper - Gameplay

Gameplay

The objective of Zoo Keeper is to remove the animal tiles that fill up the screen by aligning three or more in a row or column. Levels ends when a pre-determined number of each animal tile has been removed.

Tiles are aligned by swapping ones adjacent to each other. If this causes a line of three or more matching tiles to form, the tiles stay in their new position and the matching tiles are removed. If no line of three or more matching tiles is formed the tiles revert to their original position. Lines can be horizontal or vertical, and combinations can cause many lines disappear at the same time.

When tiles disappear, any tiles above them on the screen fall down to fill the space. If this results in a further line of three, this line also disappears. This is called a 'chain'.

On the DS version the upper screen shows a favourite animal, for which captures generate increased points. It utilises touch screen operation and the opportunity to battle another DS owner. Other versions allow two players to play at once on one screen.

Although the game registers a maximum of five tiles in a row, the player can get six, seven, or eight in a row in Zoo Keeper.

One very important aspect that sets Zoo Keeper apart from Bejeweled and its many clones is the ability to switch tiles while another move is still 'in progress'. This allows the player to set up chains, or to 'fake' chains by creating multiple rows of three in quick succession.

If no moves are available the screen is reset, but the clock keeps ticking. Similarly while chains are formed after a level is cleared the clock keeps ticking though the player is locked out from playing.

One challenge when playing Zoo Keeper is the inability to find a valid move. To combat this, players can use the "binoculars" tool to show the position of any unmade moves.

At any time during the game, a Special Panel may appear. This is a tile which quickly flicks through all animal types giving it a flashing effect. Tapping on this tile will cause it to stop on one of the animals and all tiles of this type will be instantly removed from the screen. A very rare phenomenon is where a row of three Special Panels is made. The result is a rainbow-like animation of the tiles and the word 'Revolution' appearing on the screen. 1,000,000 bonus points are rewarded when this happens.