Alpha testing guide

Links & Downloads

Before you start

How to send feedback

The best feedback is specific. Instead of “it’s confusing,” try “I didn’t know I could swipe to the Store” or “Level 7 failed me but I’m not sure why.”

Please include when you can:

• What you were trying to do
• What happened instead
• Device (e.g. iPhone 15, Windows laptop) and browser
• Screenshot or screen recording if something looks wrong

Post in #alpha-testing on our Discord server. Use the template at the bottom of this page if that helps.

Part 1 — Hub & first session (~10 minutes)

Get oriented on the home screen, then start Journey.

• Land on Home (center panel). Swipe the bottom bar or dots to visit Store, Ranks, Alliance, and Codex. Is navigation clear?
• Notice the top bar: shards, streak fire (🔥), and lives. Tap the streak fire — does the streak / freeze info make sense?
• Tap profile (top-left). If signed in, check Personal Records (includes a new Longest Run stat). Guests should not see records.
• Open Settings (gear). Toggle music and sound. Open How to Play — helpful for a new player?
• Tap Play and note the two modes: Journey and Endless.
• New accounts start with 0 shards. You should not get a big shard grant or streak popup on first launch.

Part 2 — Journey mode

Level-based campaign — 1000+ procedural levels with stars, infection, bonus rounds, and a sky map (including Event Horizon at high levels).

• Play levels 1–10. Do tutorials, cascades, and the infection mechanic make sense?
• Scroll the level map. Does the path, sky, and atmosphere feel good? Any lag on mobile Safari?
• Win and lose a level. Is the level complete / game over screen clear? On first fail, you keep your life until you leave — try quitting vs. continuing.
• Fail on purpose — is the continue option obvious (Stabilize, Add Time, or Cure Infection)?
• Earn 1★ and 3★ on a level. Use a power-up from the bar. Hit a bonus round (first after level 14, then every 7 levels).
• Run out of lives once. Spend shards on continue options — do costs feel fair?
• When you earn shards, watch the shard fly animation (gems to the top bar, balance counts up). Did the reward feel instant or did numbers bounce back?
• Leave mid-level and close the tab. Does progress and your wallet save correctly when you return?

Part 3 — Endless mode

Score-chase on a growing board. Good for testing “one more run” feel and the new recap screen.

• Start Endless from the mode select screen. Is the goal clear?
• Play until you lose. Check the recap — does it show cleared cells, personal best, and Longest Run time when relevant?
• Did participation shards and any PB bonus apply? Watch for shard fly on the recap reward.
• After the run, does your best score and profile Longest Run update (if signed in)?
• Does Endless feel different enough from Journey to be worth its own mode?

Part 4 — Store, daily missions & economy

Shards are the in-game currency. Most rewards now use a unified shard fly animation — balance should update immediately, then gems fly to the top bar.

• Swipe to Store. Are bundles, shard packs, and prices easy to understand?
• In Extras, claim your login streak reward (milestone days show extra shard pills). Try daily free gift and Watch Ad for Bonus if offered.
• Claim a holiday bonus if one appears. Try quick buys: +1 Streak Freeze and +1 Life.
• Daily Missions (signed in, Journey level 10+): open the mission button on Home. Complete tasks, tap shard pills to claim, then Open Supply Capsule. Do claims feel instant?
• Spend shards in a level or the store. Does your balance stay correct after each spend or claim?
• Optional — only if we asked: Try the smallest purchase pack with test card 4242 4242 4242 4242. Did items arrive?

Part 5 — Account & cloud save

• Play as a guest, then sign in with Google or Apple. Do shards, lives, streak, and level progress load from the cloud?
• Change your display name and copy your friend code in profile.
• Sign in on two devices (if possible). After a minute, do progress and economy match?
• Sign out — you should return to a clean guest state (0 shards, no stale wallet). Sign back in — does your account restore correctly?

Skip account deletion unless you’re using a throwaway account.

Part 6 — Ranks

Unlocks after Journey level 35. Skip if not there yet.

• Swipe to Ranks while signed in. Do you see yourself? Does the ranking make sense?
• As a guest, is the sign-in prompt clear?

Part 7 — Alliances (optional)

Best tested with a friend. Unlocks at Journey level 45.

• Create an alliance, share your friend code or invite, and have another tester join.
• Check alliance tiers and member list. Try leaving or denying a request.

If you can’t test this, note “skipped — no partner” or “not unlocked yet.”

Part 8 — Codex & achievements

Codex tab unlocks at Journey level 55. Achievements can pop up earlier while you play.

• Browse the Codex when unlocked. Are locked vs. unlocked entries clear?
• Unlock an achievement. Does the celebration screen feel good and stay centered on screen?
• If the achievement grants shards, does shard fly work from the celebration screen?

Part 9 — Ads

Ads may not show for every tester. Banner sits at the bottom during gameplay.

• Is the banner too distracting? Are full-screen ads too frequent after runs?
• Watch an ad for lives or store bonus (Part 4). Did the reward actually apply?
• If you have Remove Ads, do ads stop?

Part 10 — Polish & edge cases

• Rotate your phone or resize the browser. Switch tabs mid-level and come back.
• Tap buttons quickly or spam back — anything get stuck?
• Notice stutter, lag, battery drain, or text that’s cut off / too small.
• Any sound that plays at the wrong time or not at all?

Final questions (the most important part)

Answer these in your own words — even short answers help a lot.

1. Fun: On a scale of 1–10, how fun was it? Would you play again tomorrow?
2. Clarity: What was the most confusing thing in the first 5 minutes?
3. Difficulty: Where did Journey start to feel too easy or too hard?
4. Hook: What moment (if any) made you want to keep going?
5. Compare: What mobile puzzle game does this remind you of — and how does Hex Cascade compare?
6. Missing: What feature or quality-of-life thing did you expect that wasn’t there?
7. Bugs: List anything broken, even small (typos, wrong numbers, buttons that do nothing).
8. One change: If we could only fix one thing before more people play, what should it be?

Feedback template (copy & paste)

Paste into #alpha-testing on Discord.