Shelf Sweep

Overview

Shelf Sweep is a triple-match puzzle set in a tidy corner shop. Six shelf columns each hold a stack of three goods — mugs, socks, leaves, lamps, kites, and seven more original designs, twelve types with three copies each, thirty-six goods in all. Only the top good of a column can be lifted into the seven-slot tray along the bottom. Three matching goods in the tray sweep away automatically and free their slots; let all seven slots fill without a sweep and the level ends on the spot. What sets the shop apart is honesty about what comes next. A stockroom strip under the shelf shows the next layer queued for every column, and when a column empties, a short conveyor visibly rolls that layer in over about two seconds — there are no hidden tiles anywhere. A single HOLD slot parks one tray good for later, a full undo stack rewinds any move, and once per level you may reshuffle the remaining shelf goods, which is only applied after the game proves the new arrangement is still winnable. All twenty-four layouts are dealt with a constructive winnability certificate that is replayed and verified before you see the shelf.

How to Play

Tap the top good of any column to lift it into the tray, and watch for triples forming — they sweep themselves. Tap any tray good to park it in the HOLD slot, and tap HOLD to return it. Empty a column and its queued layer rolls in on the conveyor; the strip below the shelf always shows what every column has waiting. Keyboard: Left and Right choose a column, Enter takes, Q parks the newest tray good, E returns it, U undoes, S shuffles once, R restarts, P pauses, M mutes. Clear all thirty-six goods to sweep the level.

Tips & Strategy

Think of the tray as working capital: seven slots sounds generous until two unmatched pairs and a single strand you at six, where the next wrong lift ends the level. Before every take, check whether the exposed good completes a pair already in the tray — clearing space is always better than renting it. Read the stockroom strip like a weather forecast; knowing a column's next layer contains the third mug means you can safely hold two mugs in the tray while you dig elsewhere. Emptying a column is a deliberate tool, not just progress: it is the only way to reach the layer beneath, so sometimes the right play is spending three tray slots on goods you do not need yet just to unlock what is coming. Keep HOLD for the good that has no partner in sight, and save the single shuffle for genuine dead ends — it rebuilds the shelf into a provably winnable line from your exact position, tray included.

What Makes It Distinct

Triple-match shelf games usually hide their lower layers, so late-game failure feels like bad luck. Shelf Sweep shows every queued layer in advance and rolls refills in on a visible conveyor, replacing hidden randomness with planning. The one-time shuffle is revalidated rather than rerolled blindly, and since every deal ships with a replayed winnability certificate, a lost level is always a readable mistake — never a broken layout.