Although the gameplay formula is a little too similar to the insanely popular Candy Crush Saga, Farm Heroes Saga plays pretty well with its own match-three format - even though you may find the presentation just a little too cutesy for your taste. Here are some tips that will help you get through the game.
How do I earn three stars on a stage in Farm Heroes Saga?
It really depends on how many vegetables you can match up within your allotted number of turns. A small meter in the upper left corner tracks your progress in the matching, and with each successful turn, it gets closer to the three stars that are positioned on the meter. As it fills, stars begin to unlock, and if you're good enough you'll get all three.
To earn the most stars, keep an eye out for opportunities to match four, five or more items. Doing so will help clear away additional vegetables on the board, which in turn creates more match-up opportunities for the ones you need. Getting more of these will increase your chances of earning more stars significantly.
Do I have to sign in to Facebook to use Farm Heroes Saga?
It's not required, but doing so unlocks a fun social angle for the game, as you can challenge fellow players' scores on certain stages, as well as provide gifts and ask for additional lives without needing to put down money. It works kind of like Candy Crush Saga does, but, thankfully, you won't need to pay to use these services.
How do boosters work in Farm Heroes Saga?
Boosters provide a turn-based advantage on the board, allowing you to do a number of things. They unlock eventually as you progress further on the board, but the ones you earn initially are quite useful.
First up is the Extra Turns piece. By unlocking this (which requires six gold bricks), you're able to continue your current run for five additional turns, on top of the ones you're already provided with.
The second is the Tractor. This is a single-use power-up that clears away a whole row of vegetables, in case you're stuck or just want to clear away some of the debris that can't be matched up right away. Use it wisely.
Finally, Shovel enables you to dig up and remove one piece from the board. If it's a piece that's required in your collection, it'll be added to your total automatically. You can use this up to three times before needing to recharge it, so use it carefully.
How do I battle a boss enemy in Farm Heroes Saga?
On occasion, you'll enter a boss battle where you need to defeat an enemy who's vowing to wreak havoc on the farm. To defeat them, you simply need to collect the four required veggies on the board as many times as you can before running out of turns. With each new veggie you acquire, you'll take a small percentage off the boss' life force. Bring them down to zero, and they're done for.
Do collecting animals provide an advantage on some stages in Farm Heroes Saga?
Yes. These stages work similarly to the stars ones, but provide you with animals that unlock and take residence on your farm, such as a cow and a sheep. They don't provide anything in terms of gameplay, but it's nice to see your farm stock up with barnyard life.
What happens if I don't collect the required veggies on a stage in Farm Heroes Saga?
You'll have to use a heart in order to try the stage again. When you first start, you'll have four hearts - plenty of chances to beat the stage. If you run out, you'll either need to wait it out, ask your friends on Facebook for extra lives, or use some of your gold bricks to refill it. We advise simply waiting it out - that process always works best, and you only have to wait about a half hour to refill each piece.
Do I need to pay for anything in Farm Heroes Saga?
Eventually, if you're a dedicated player, you may be tempted to. The game provides plenty of magic beans as a reward for completing each stage, and you have a decent amount of hearts to start out with, along with 50 gold. However, if you're a dedicated player and want to continue, additional gold bricks are available as an in-app purchase, ranging from $.99 to $109.99, depending on how many you want.
However, Farm Heroes Saga provides ample gold and hearts to start with, so you probably won't need to invest until you run into a later level somewhere down the road. That gives you plenty of gameplay to enjoy at no charge.
