How Is a Gardenscapes Level Actually Designed?

Many Gardenscapes players assume that a level is created simply by placing obstacles on a board and assigning a number of moves. In reality, modern match-3 level design is far more complex. While Playrix has never published the complete internal workflow used for Gardenscapes, information from company presentations, industry experts, and academic research allows us to understand how a typical level is likely created and balanced before reaching players.

Every level is designed to achieve a specific gameplay experience. The goal is not simply to make a stage easy or difficult. Designers aim to create challenges that feel different from one another while maintaining difficulty, move limits and board logic across thousands of levels.

Everything Starts With a Design Plan

Before a level is built, designers usually work from a predefined plan that specifies the role of that level within the overall game progression.

This planning stage typically includes:

• Difficulty target.
• Main objective.
• Gameplay mechanics to be used.
• Obstacle selection.
• Player skill level expectations.
• Position within the game's progression curve.

Rather than creating levels randomly, designers follow a structured roadmap that helps maintain balance across thousands of stages.

Every Level Needs a Core Idea

One of the most important principles in match-3 design is that every level should revolve around a central concept.

Examples include:

• Gradually opening the board.
• Creating large power-up combinations.
• Managing limited space.
• Clearing layered obstacles.
• Reaching isolated sections of the board.
• Timing explosive chain reactions.

This explains why two levels may contain similar obstacles but still feel completely different when played.

Obstacle Selection Is Carefully Controlled

Level designers do not simply combine every available obstacle together.

Different obstacles interact in different ways, and some combinations can make a level frustrating, chaotic, or too easy. Because of this, developers often use compatibility rules when designing stages.

The goal is to create a challenge that feels fair while still encouraging strategic play.

The Shape of the Board Matters More Than Most Players Realize

Many players focus on obstacles, but the board layout itself is often one of the biggest factors affecting difficulty.

Difficulty can change dramatically depending on:

• Board size.
• Narrow corridors.
• Separated sections.
• Blocked pathways.
• Restricted tile generation areas.
• Combo creation opportunities.

A well-designed board can completely transform the experience even when all other elements remain the same, especially when the player understands how to read a level before the first move.

Move Count Is One of the Most Powerful Difficulty Tools

Many players associate difficulty primarily with obstacles. However, move count is often the single most important balancing tool available to designers.

A level can become significantly harder or easier simply by adjusting the number of available moves.

Designers frequently fine-tune:

• Total moves.
• Obstacle density.
• Board structure.
• Special element behavior.
• Power-up generation opportunities.

Because of this, two versions of what appears to be the same level may perform very differently in practice.

Levels Go Through Extensive Testing

Before a level reaches live servers, it is typically tested repeatedly.

Testers evaluate factors such as:

• Win rate.
• Failure rate.
• Remaining moves after victory.
• Common failure points.
• Player frustration levels.
• Gameplay pacing.

The level is adjusted repeatedly until it reaches the intended difficulty target.

Modern Match-3 Games Use Data-Driven Balancing

Level design does not end when a stage is released.

Modern mobile games continuously collect gameplay data, including:

• Completion rates.
• Average attempts per win.
• Booster usage.
• Coin spending.
• Player retention.
• Session duration.

If a level performs outside expected parameters, developers can modify it later through updates and balancing adjustments.

A/B Testing Can Produce Different Experiences

Large mobile games frequently use A/B testing to compare multiple versions of a level.

Different groups of players may receive slightly different versions of the same stage, allowing developers to compare:

• Difficulty balance.
• Completion rates.
• Player retention.
• Booster consumption.
• Overall satisfaction.

This is one reason why players sometimes report different experiences even when discussing the same level.

Artificial Intelligence Is Becoming Part of Level Design

Recent research in match-3 game development shows that artificial intelligence is increasingly used to help create and test levels.

Researchers have demonstrated systems that can generate levels automatically, evaluate difficulty, and simulate thousands of gameplay attempts using machine learning and reinforcement learning algorithms.

These tools allow developers to identify balance problems much faster than traditional manual testing alone.

Why Some Levels Feel So Different

Two Gardenscapes levels may appear nearly identical at first glance, yet play very differently.

This happens because difficulty is influenced by many hidden variables, including board structure, obstacle placement, move count, tile distribution, and balancing adjustments made after testing. That is also why the same level feels different from one player experience to another.

What players see on the screen is only a small part of the overall design process.

Conclusion

A Gardenscapes level is not simply a collection of obstacles placed on a board. Behind every stage is a combination of planning, board architecture, obstacle interaction, difficulty balancing, testing, analytics, and ongoing optimization.

Modern match-3 design combines creative level building with extensive data analysis, allowing developers to continuously refine the experience across thousands of levels. The result is a system where even seemingly simple stages are often supported by a surprisingly sophisticated design process.

Sources

• Gamigion – Match-3 Level Design Principles – Industry overview of board design, obstacle placement, difficulty balancing, testing, and level creation workflows.
• Level Generation Using Genetic Algorithms and Difficulty Testing Using Reinforcement Learning in Match-3 Games – Academic research on automated level generation and difficulty testing.
• Optimizing Stage Construction and Level Balancing of Match-3 Puzzle Game with PPO Algorithm Machine Learning – Research examining AI-assisted level balancing and testing.
• Efficient Difficulty Level Balancing in Match-3 Puzzle Games – Comparative study of machine learning methods used to evaluate match-3 level difficulty.
• Level Design Complexity in Match-Three Games – Academic study examining structural complexity in modern match-3 level design.

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