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Trimension User Guide
Drop colored triangles into an upside-down well, match three in a line, and set off chains — with a Daily Challenge, puzzles and friendly duels.
Table of Contents
1
Getting Started
What is Trimension?
Trimension is a falling-piece puzzle game for iPhone and iPad, played on a triangular grid. Colored triangles fall into an upside-down triangular well. Three of a color in a line pop, and whatever was resting on them slides into the gap, which can line up another three and pop again: a chain. Lines run three ways instead of two, along each row and along both walls of the well, so a match can come from a direction you did not expect.
What do I need to play?
An iPhone or iPad running iOS 26 or later. Trimension works fully offline. An internet connection is only used for Game Center leaderboards and achievements, and for syncing your settings, best scores, Daily History and puzzle progress through your own iCloud account.
How does a game end?
Keep the well from filling. When there is no room at the top for even a single triangle, the run ends and your results appear. In Sprint the run also ends when the clock runs out.
What happens the first time I open the app?
How to Play starts automatically: four short lessons that each ask you to place one piece, with the target marked in the well. You can skip it and come back any time from the title screen or from Settings > Help & Support > How to Play.
Can I leave a game and come back later?
Yes. Your run is saved after every piece and when you leave the app. The next time you open Trimension, the title screen says "A run is waiting" with Resume and Discard. A run that ended just as the app closed, with its last chain still playing, is scored when you reopen the app, and its Results appear.
2
Controls
How do I move and drop pieces with gestures?
Swipe sideways to move the piece, tap the well to turn it, and flick down to drop it straight to where it will land (a hard drop). Drag down and keep your finger down to make it fall faster (a soft drop); it returns to normal speed when you lift your finger. Swipe up from the well to hold the piece for later.
Can I use buttons instead?
Yes. Around the well are Left, Right, Turn, Soft Drop, Hard Drop and Hold. Tap Soft Drop once and pieces keep falling faster until you tap it again; holding a piece, pausing, or dragging down on the well and lifting your finger also turns it off. Choose Gestures, Buttons or Both in Settings > Game > Controls.
How do I know where a piece will land?
As a piece falls, an outline shows the exact cells it will come to rest on, and a faint line traces the path it will slide along. Pieces slide toward the middle of the well as they fall, so the outline is often not straight below the piece.
How does Hold work?
Hold sets the current piece aside and brings in the next one, or swaps it with the piece you are already holding. You can hold once for each piece; after a hold, Hold is available again once the new piece lands. Hold is not used in Puzzles or How to Play, whose pieces are fixed.
How do I pause?
Tap the pause button at the top of the screen. The pause screen offers Resume, Play Again and Main Menu. The game also pauses by itself when you leave the app or a call comes in. Daily Challenge and challenge games offer no Play Again, because each is a single attempt.
3
Pieces
What kinds of pieces are there?
Three kinds. Single triangles are the most common. Rhombuses are two triangles joined, which can be one color or two. Large triangles are four triangles together and can be turned through six positions, so turning one changes which color sits in each corner. The next few pieces are always shown at the top of the screen.
What is a wild triangle?
A triangle marked with an asterisk is wild: it matches any color, so it can complete a line with any two triangles of one color. Wilds come only as single triangles.
What happens when a rhombus or large triangle doesn't fit?
If a piece cannot fit in the well whole, it splits and lands as single triangles, one at a time. A single triangle that cannot fit ends the run.
When does the fifth color appear?
In Endless, a fifth color joins as the levels climb: from level 9 on Easy, level 6 on Normal and level 4 on Hard. It first arrives in two-cell rhombuses of a single color, then as ordinary pieces. Sprint always plays with four colors.
4
Matches, Chains and Scoring
What makes a match?
Three or more triangles of one color in an unbroken line: along a row, or along either wall's direction. All three directions count equally. Wild triangles stand in for any color.
What is a chain?
When a match pops, everything resting on it slides down and toward the middle to fill the gap. If that slide makes a new line of three, it pops too, and so on. Each pop in a row is a step of the chain, and the game shows the step count as it happens.
How is my score calculated?
A line of three is worth 100 points, plus 60 for each triangle beyond three, times the current level. Two lines popping at once are worth double, and three or more four times as much. Each step of a chain doubles the multiplier: ×2, then ×4, then ×8. Placing a rhombus so that both its halves pop earns a bonus, and emptying the well completely earns a large one.
Why does Results show a "Base" score?
Easy and Hard scale your final score: Easy by 0.6 and Hard by 1.85, so a harder game is worth more. Results shows the score after scaling, with the base score and the multiplier beneath it. Normal shows no base, because it is unscaled.
Can I slow chains down to follow them?
Yes. Settings > Pacing > Chain Pause sets the pause between chain steps, from 0.35 seconds to 1.2 seconds. Slide toward Slow to follow long chains. The pause never goes below 0.35 seconds, so flashes always stay safely spaced.
5
Modes and Difficulty
What is the difference between Endless and Sprint?
Endless plays until the well fills, and the level rises as you go: pieces fall faster, and later a fifth color joins. Sprint gives you three minutes to score as much as you can, at a fixed level with four colors. The Sprint clock only runs while you are placing a piece, not while a chain is popping, and every piece costs at least a moment of clock however fast you drop it.
How do the difficulties differ?
Easy, Normal and Hard change how fast pieces fall, how often the level rises, how soon the fifth color arrives and how many single-color pieces and large triangles you get. Easy raises the level every 10 pops, Normal every 8 and Hard every 6. Choose a difficulty on the title screen before you play; your choice is remembered.
What is Fall Speed?
Settings > Game > Fall Speed makes every piece fall Slower or Faster than the difficulty's own speed, for players who want more time or more pace. Only Standard counts for best scores and leaderboards: a game at Slower or Faster is marked "Unranked" on Results.
Where are my best scores?
The title screen shows your best for the mode and difficulty you have chosen, for example "Your Best on Easy Sprint". Results tells you when a run sets a new best. Best scores are kept for each mode and difficulty, and sync through your iCloud account.
Why was my game marked "Unranked"?
A game is unranked, and records no best and sends no score to Game Center, when it was played at a Fall Speed other than Standard, on a friend's challenge, or finished after an app update that changed the game's rules. Results says which reason applies.
6
Daily Challenge
What is the Daily Challenge?
One board a day, the same for every player in the world, with one attempt each. It is played as Normal Endless at the standard fall speed. Start it from the Daily Challenge button on the title screen. Once you have played, the button shows your score for the day and when the next board arrives.
When does the next board arrive?
Every day at 00:00 UTC, the same moment everywhere. Once you have played today's Daily, the title screen shows that time in your own time zone until the next board arrives, and Settings > Daily Challenge always shows it.
Can I play the Daily Challenge more than once?
No. An attempt counts as soon as it starts, so you can't restart a Daily that is going badly. If you leave in the middle, your run is saved and you can resume it later, even on a later day, and it still counts for its own day in your history and streak. A Daily finished after the next board has arrived is not sent to the Daily leaderboard, which has moved on to the new day.
How do streaks work?
Your streak counts the days in a row on which you played the Daily Challenge. It is not broken until a whole UTC day passes without one, so today's Daily still keeps it going until the next board arrives. Until you play today's Daily, the Daily Challenge button on the title screen shows your current streak; Daily History always does.
How do I see my past Daily results?
Tap the calendar button beside the Daily Challenge, or tap today's result, to open Daily History. It shows your current and best streaks and a calendar with every day you played marked, kept for about the last 400 days. Tap a played day to see its score. Daily History and your streaks sync through iCloud, so every device signed in to your Apple Account shows the same calendar. Once your devices have synced, a Daily played on one counts as played on all of them; if two devices start the same day before syncing, the higher score is kept.
7
Puzzles and How to Play
What are Puzzles?
Fourteen hand-built positions, each with a fixed set of pieces and a goal, usually to clear the well. The first seven, from First Light to Chain of Eight, use one or two pieces. The next seven are the same ideas again in three pieces, and every one of those three pieces is needed. Open them from Puzzles on the title screen.
How do I play a puzzle?
Tap a puzzle to start. The pieces come in a fixed order, and the caption above the well says what to do. If the pieces run out before the goal is met, tap Try Again to start the puzzle over. Solved puzzles are marked with a check, on all your devices, and the first unsolved puzzle is highlighted.
Do puzzles have a time limit?
No. A puzzle's first piece waits at the top of the well until you move, turn or drop it; after that, pieces fall as in a Normal game at Standard speed, whatever your Difficulty and Fall Speed. There is no clock and no limit on attempts.
What does How to Play cover?
Four short lessons: pieces slide toward the middle, three in a line pop, what rested on a pop slides in to make a chain, and large triangles turn through six positions. Each lesson marks the target in the well and lights the next control to press. If a lesson goes wrong, tap Try Again, or Show Me to watch it solved. Good to Know, at the end, sums up the rest: the goal, soft drop, hold, rhombuses, wilds, levels and chains.
8
Challenge a Friend
How do I challenge a friend?
After a game, tap Challenge a Friend on Results (Duel a Friend after a Sprint) and send it through Messages, AirDrop, Mail or any other share option. Your friend opens it in Trimension and plays the same board with the same pieces, at the fall speed you played at.
Can a challenge score be faked?
No. Trimension checks every challenge by replaying the run from its start before showing the score, so the score your friend sees is the score the run actually makes.
Can I watch my friend's run?
Yes, once you have played the challenge yourself. Results then shows both scores, with Watch Their Run, and Send Your Reply so your friend can see how you did. You can also watch your own finished games with Watch This Run on Results; a game resumed after an update that changed the rules has no replay to watch.
Why can't I send a Daily Challenge as a challenge?
The Daily Challenge is one attempt for everyone, so its board can't be shared as a challenge. A challenge file on a Daily board is refused when it is opened.
Do challenges count for best scores?
No. Challenge games are unranked, because the board was chosen by your friend's game. They do count for the Friendly Rivalry and Bragging Rights achievements.
9
Game Center
Which leaderboards are there?
Seven: one for each mode and difficulty (Endless and Sprint on Easy, Normal and Hard), and one for the Daily Challenge, which starts afresh each day. Your score is sent when a ranked game or today's Daily Challenge ends. Once you are signed in to Game Center, a Game Center button appears at the top right of the title screen.
What achievements can I earn?
Ten: First Chain, Ten Thousand, Daily Player, First Light, Beat the Clock, Three in a Row, Friendly Rivalry, Bragging Rights, A Full Week, and Thirty Days, from your first chain of three steps to a thirty-day Daily streak.
Do I need Game Center to play?
No. Everything in Trimension works without it. Sign in through the iOS Settings app, under Game Center, to send scores and earn achievements. A game that finishes in the first moments after you open the app, before Game Center has answered, waits for Game Center to answer and is sent if you are signed in. A game that finishes while you are signed out is not sent later, though your best score is still kept.
10
Widgets and Reminders
Is there a widget?
Yes. Add a Trimension widget to your Home Screen (small or medium) or Lock Screen (inline, rectangular or circular) to see whether today's Daily Challenge is played and your current streak. It turns over by itself when the next board arrives.
How do I get a reminder for the Daily Challenge?
Turn on Settings > Daily Challenge > Daily Reminder. Trimension asks for notification permission and then reminds you when each new board arrives. Reminders are set a week ahead and topped up whenever you open Trimension, so after a week away they stop until you next open the app. Turning the reminder on or off applies to all your devices, but each device asks for notification permission separately; until it is allowed there, the switch shows off on that device. Results also offers it after a Daily Challenge, on a device that has not yet been asked for notification permission, until you answer Remind Me or Not Now. Each device schedules its own reminders; no server sends them.
I turned the reminder on but nothing arrives.
Notifications for Trimension may be off. Open the iOS Settings app, go to Notifications > Trimension, and allow notifications. Trimension's settings link straight there when it notices they are off.
11
Settings and Accessibility
How do I open Settings?
Tap the gear button at the top left of the title screen. Settings is grouped into Game, Palette, Appearance, Pacing, Sound and Haptics, Daily Challenge, Help & Support, and About.
What can I change?
Game: the default Difficulty, Fall Speed (Slower, Standard or Faster) and Controls (Gestures, Buttons or Both). Palette: six color palettes, Classic, Neon, Dusk, Tide, Forest and Colorblind. Appearance: Theme (System, Dark or Light), Shape Markers, High Contrast and Background Dimming. Pacing: Chain Pause. Sound and Haptics: Sound Effects and Music, each with its own volume, and Haptics on an iPhone (iPad has no haptics, so the switch is not shown there).
Which accessibility features are supported?
Shape Markers put a symbol on every color, so color is never the only cue, and the Colorblind palette and High Contrast help further. The app supports VoiceOver with labels on every control, larger text sizes, and Reduce Motion. Chain Pause slows chains down, and flashes never come closer than 0.35 seconds apart. Haptics mark locks, pops and chains, and can be turned off.
Why is the game screen always dark?
The well is drawn on a dark field in every theme, so the colors keep the same contrast whatever theme you choose. The Theme setting changes the title screen, Settings, Results and the other screens around the game.
Does the game play music?
Yes, an original soundtrack that builds as the well fills, lifts after a chain of three or more steps, and drops back to a quieter passage when you clear the well. Sound effects are pitched to each pop. Both follow the silent switch and mix with your own audio. If something else is already playing when a game starts, Trimension's music stays off so yours continues.
Which languages are supported?
English, Spanish, German, French, Japanese and Simplified Chinese. Trimension follows your device's language, which you can change for Trimension alone in the iOS Settings app under Apps > Trimension > Language.
12
Privacy and Troubleshooting
Does Trimension collect any data?
No. Trimension has no ads, no account and no tracking, and collects no data. Your settings, best scores, Daily History and puzzle progress sync through your own iCloud account, and scores go to Game Center only when you are signed in.
Do my settings and progress sync between my devices?
Yes, between devices signed in to the same Apple Account with iCloud on. Settings sync, and the most recent change wins; that includes whether you have seen How to Play and whether the Daily Reminder is on. Best scores sync, and the highest score is kept. Daily History and streaks sync, and for each day a finished game beats an unfinished one and the higher score is kept. Puzzles solved on any device count as solved on all of them. A game in progress stays on the device where it started. Because sync is through your Apple Account, your progress also comes back when you reinstall Trimension or move to a new device.
I hear no sound.
Check the silent switch: Trimension follows it. Then check Settings > Sound and Haptics > Sound Effects and Music and their volumes. If other audio was playing when the game started, Trimension's music stays off for that game; it returns with the next game started in silence.
My score isn't on the leaderboard.
Check that you are signed in to Game Center in the iOS Settings app. Unranked games are not sent: games at a Fall Speed other than Standard, challenges, and games resumed after an update that changed the rules. Results says when a game is unranked. A Daily Challenge finished after the next board has arrived is not sent either, and nor is a game that finished while you were signed out of Game Center.
A challenge says it was made with a different version.
You and your friend are on different versions of Trimension. Update both copies from the App Store, then have the challenge sent again.
How do I report a problem?
Go to Settings > Help & Support > Report an Issue, describe what happened if you like, and share the report by email or any other option. It holds this device's last run as a replay, the game's settings, the app's version and build, the iPhone or iPad model and iOS version, the screen and window size, appearance, text size, language, accessibility settings and power state as they are when you make the report, and the last half hour of the app's log, and nothing that identifies you unless you wrote it. Once iOS has delivered performance or crash reports, usually a day or more after you start playing, Settings > Help & Support > Send Diagnostics shares those from the last 30 days the same way. Contact Us opens our support page.