Board. You start with the middle 5×6 of a 7×9 board. 🔒 cells unlock as you level up.
Generators. Tapping costs 1 energy and spawns a tile beside it. Tap the 1× chip in the top bar to switch to 2× — double energy per tap, but tiles start at tier 2. The AB generator makes mostly A's and some B's — merge two same-level generators (up to level 10) to shift the mix: it evens out around level 5, then keeps tipping toward the rarer, more valuable second letter (a high-level AB generator spits mostly B's). Spawns are almost always tier 1.
Climbing the alphabet. Merge two identical tiles for the next tier (A1 + A1 → A2, up to 8). Two B8s become the CD generator — the main source of C and D tiles (big orders occasionally award a bonus tile from the next group). Two D8s → EF, two F8s → GH, two H8s → IJ, and two J8s → the Fountain ⛲. The IJ generator is special: it crafts 6 pieces, then rests (2½ hours at level 1 — shorter every level; leveling it up also refills it on the spot). Two A8s rebuild an extra AB generator (plus an energy bonus); other recipe-less tier-8s (C, E, G, I) cash in for energy.
The Fountain ⛲. Tap it for energy , XP, and a free random piece whose tier grows with the fountain's level — a level-1 fountain gives tier-3 pieces, and only a deeply-merged one (level 6+) reaches tier 8. A level-1 fountain holds 2 spouts, then dims and recharges over 90 minutes. Merge two same-level fountains for the next level — a few more spouts (level + 1) and higher-tier output. You can also store it (📦) or split it (✂️) back into the two pieces it was made from (a level-1 splits into two J8s).
Orders. Each order asks for pieces from a single family, so you can farm it from one generator. Deliver the requested tiles — green means a piece is on the board — for energy , coins , and XP. Order energy and regulars' tips arrive as batteries 🔋 and coin purses 👛 — merge-able pieces worth 10/50/150/400/1000/2500. Merge two to climb a value, double-tap to cash in. If the board is full they wait in the rewards bubble by the split/save corner — tap it to place the next one. Leveling up unlocks more board. Don't like an order? Reroll it for a fresh one with the ↻ button (30 ).
Special orders ⭐. Bonus tickets sit at the end of the order row, each servable once per period: a small copper-trimmed Hourly (pays energy ⚡, not coins — your top-up ticket), a blue Daily Special (2× coins), and the big gold Weekly Special (triple coins, double energy — plus the usual bonus piece on big tickets). And keep an eye out for the red 🔥 Rush: it shows up unannounced every hour or three, pays 4× coins, but leaves in ten minutes if you don't serve it.
Customers. Every order is placed by a customer, whose portrait sits behind the tiles. Tap the ℹ️ on an order to meet them — name, a little story, and how much they've spent at your saloon. Your biggest spenders wear a 🥇🥈🥉 badge, and regulars (⭐, after 3 orders) tip extra on every order — and occasionally leave a thank-you gift piece on your board. Every customer also has a favorite piece (💛 on the order chip, listed on their profile): include it in a serve and they pay a bonus. Browse the whole cast under ☰ → Customers.
Rewards 🎁. The chest button in the top bar opens five tabs (a red dot shows when any has something for you):
· Goals 🎯. Milestones reward you with energy and coins for merging, delivering, and leveling up. They keep climbing as you hit them, so there's always a next target.
· Shop 🛒. Spend coins on permanent upgrades (more max energy, faster refills, extra order slots), buy generators outright, top up your energy, or pick up specific pieces. The stock restocks on a timer — or pay to refresh it now.
· Rewards . Claim coins (and energy on the bigger days) once a day. Come back on consecutive days to build a streak for larger rewards.
· Wanted 🤠. The daily bounty board: three posters each morning — serve so many orders, pry a crate, make merges — each paying coins or energy when you claim it. Only today's work counts; the board resets overnight.
· Trophies 🏆. Permanent achievements for the long hauls — big merge counts, high-level generators and fountains, serving the whole town. Earned ones show the date you got them; no prizes, just bragging rights.
Crates 📦. Now and then a delivery leaves a nailed-shut crate on the board. It can't be moved, merged, or scrapped — pry it open by making any merge on one of the cells around it. Inside is a piece, or a pouch of coins.
Tidy up 🧹. Tap the broom — or double-tap any empty cell — to auto-organize the board: your generators line up and everything sorts neatly.
The tools tile. A slim tile sits at the front of the order row with every board tool: ↩️ undo and 🧹 sort on top, then three drop zones — 🗑️ sell, 📦 save, ✂️ split — and the 🔋👛 rewards bubble at the bottom. Drag a tile onto ✂️ to split it into two of the tier below (10 , needs an open cell — you'll be asked to confirm, unless you turn that off in ⚙️ Settings), onto 📦 to stash it — items, generators, or the fountain (tap 📦 to open storage and buy slots with coins; saved generators still count as owned) — or onto 🗑️ sell to cash it in for 95% of its value in energy and coins.
My Saloon 🚪. The inside of your place, under ☰ → My Saloon. Spend coins on furnishings — a proper bar top, a piano, a chandelier, all the way to a grand staircase — and watch the room itself fill up with each one. Bought in order, dearer as they get grander — and every fixture carries a ★ perk — the piano unlocks the saloon music, the chandelier adds max energy, the card tables bring Lucky around, the stage hosts the Evening Revue, the bar top boosts tips, the back-bar discounts shop energy, the longhorn keeps outlaws honest, the mirror grows Revue tips, the gallery teaches extra XP, and the staircase adds a storage slot.
Story 📜. The tale of your saloon and the town growing around it. Hit a chapter's milestone, then spend coins to continue the story — each chapter plays a short conversation with one of your customers and fills in more of the town map. Read (and replay) it under ☰ → Story.
The Ledger 📖. Your piece collection, under ☰ → Ledger. Every tile you've ever crafted is drawn in; the ones you haven't are dark silhouettes showing the finder's bounty — a one-time coin reward paid the first time you make that piece. Higher tiers pay bigger bounties — and discovering a letter's entire row (all eight tiers) turns it gold and pays a big one-time completion bonus.
Realistic mode 🂡 (18+). An optional flavor switch in ⚙️ Settings that adds mature Old-West themes: dance-hall girls join the customers, Lucky sometimes offers double-or-nothing on a serve's payout, the fountain pours whiskey, outlaws (a revolver mark on their order card) pay triple but might skip the bill, and the girls put on a nightly Evening Revue (☰ → Evening Revue) that pays tips once a day.
Back up your save 💾. Your progress is stored only on this device. In ☰ → ⚙️ Settings you can Export it to a file (keep a backup, or move to a new phone) and Import it back anytime.
Handy extras. ↩️ undoes your last move. Sound, dark mode and other options live under ☰ → ⚙️ Settings. New here? Check ☰ → What's new to see the latest additions.
Your progress lives only on this device. Export a backup file now and then, or use it to move to a new phone.
Merge Saloon 🤠 — a cozy letter-merging game.
I made this with Claude, and it's free for everyone. There's no server — all your game state is stored locally on your device.
My motivation: a calm place to meditatively merge without spending any real money. 💛
★ = recommended. Themes without a star are experimental — they may look rough or be confusing.
Tap a piece to send it back to the board.
Every piece you've ever crafted. First-time pieces pay a finder's bounty!
· Coins only
Today's bounties — fresh posters every morning. Finish the job, claim the reward.