Merge Dragons!

Merge Dragons! is one of the titles that massively popularized the so-called merge genre – that is, combining two identical objects on the game board into one higher and more valuable whole. In the limited space of a garden, the player merges eggs, flowers, stones and even the dragons themselves, gradually unlocking rarer and much stronger forms while also healing and reviving the devastated landscape around them, which pushes the game closer to the genre of relaxed building games. Touch controls consist of simply dragging one object onto another and merging them, which is intuitive even for completely new players who otherwise don't regularly play strategy or puzzle games.

Gram Games came up with a mechanic that at first glance seems simple, even childlike, but offers surprising depth in planning how to most efficiently use the limited space of the game board and in what order to merge individual objects so the player doesn't lose valuable resources. Dragons as the central visual motif give the game a strong fantasy flavor and distinguish it from later similar merge titles that entered the market and drew heavily on its proven success.

It is a free-to-play game with an energy system limiting the number of actions per unit of time and offers of special themed packs; the pressure to spend grows gradually as the player reaches more demanding and expansive levels and wants to unlock rarer dragon types faster than purely free play would allow.

Why play it: Recommended for players with a soft spot for calm, thoughtful building puzzles, ideal for unwinding after a hard day, even though full progress without paying takes considerably longer than many would like.