<s>
Threes	B-Application
(	O
stylized	O
as	O
Threes	B-Application
!	I-Application
)	O
</s>
<s>
is	O
a	O
puzzle	O
video	O
game	O
by	O
Sirvo	B-Application
,	O
an	O
independent	O
development	O
team	O
consisting	O
of	O
game	O
designer	O
Asher	O
Vollmer	O
,	O
illustrator	O
Greg	O
Wohlwend	O
,	O
and	O
composer	O
Jimmy	O
Hinson	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
February	O
6	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
devices	O
and	O
later	O
ported	O
to	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Threes	B-Application
,	O
the	O
player	O
slides	O
numbered	O
tiles	O
on	O
a	O
grid	O
to	O
combine	O
addends	O
and	O
multiples	O
of	O
three	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
basic	O
game	O
was	O
prototyped	O
in	O
a	O
single	O
night	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
team	O
spent	O
over	O
half	O
a	O
year	O
iterating	O
through	O
variations	O
on	O
the	O
idea	O
with	O
visual	O
themes	O
such	O
as	O
sushi	B-Application
and	O
chess	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
found	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
charming	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
addictive	O
"	O
and	O
compared	O
it	O
to	O
Drop7	B-Application
,	O
Stickets	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Triple	B-Application
Town	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eurogamer	O
and	O
TouchArcade	O
awarded	O
the	O
game	O
perfect	O
scores	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
latter	O
calling	O
Threes	B-Application
"	O
about	O
as	O
close	O
as	O
it	O
gets	O
to	O
a	O
perfect	O
mobile	O
game	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
Inc	O
.	O
named	O
Threes	B-Application
the	O
best	O
iPhone	B-Device
game	O
of	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
ones	O
and	O
twos	O
merge	O
to	O
become	O
a	O
single	O
"	O
three	O
"	O
tile	O
,	O
two	O
threes	B-Application
merge	O
into	O
"	O
six	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
two	O
sixes	O
merge	O
into	O
"	O
12	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
of	O
Threes	B-Application
typically	O
last	O
several	O
minutes	O
and	O
end	O
when	O
no	O
moves	O
remain	O
on	O
the	O
grid	O
(	O
usually	O
when	O
gridlocked	O
with	O
a	O
single	O
high	O
number	O
tile	O
and	O
many	O
low	O
number	O
tiles	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
a	O
game	O
is	O
finished	O
,	O
there	O
is	O
no	O
"	O
game	B-Application
over	I-Application
"	O
screen	O
,	O
but	O
players	O
receive	O
a	O
final	O
score	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
rarity	O
of	O
the	O
tiles	O
(	O
rather	O
than	O
the	O
tile	O
number	O
values	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Outside	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
players	O
can	O
review	O
their	O
scores	O
and	O
set	O
Game	B-Operating_System
Center	I-Operating_System
challenges	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Threes	B-Application
was	O
conceived	O
by	O
game	O
designer	O
Asher	O
Vollmer	O
,	O
who	O
worked	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
with	O
artist	O
Greg	O
Wohlwend	O
and	O
composer	O
Jimmy	O
Hinson	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
three	O
,	O
as	O
Sirvo	B-Application
LLC	I-Application
,	O
had	O
previously	O
collaborated	O
on	O
the	O
2012	O
iOS	B-Application
word	O
game	O
Puzzlejuice	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wohlwend	O
had	O
worked	O
on	O
games	O
including	O
Ridiculous	B-Application
Fishing	I-Application
and	O
Hundreds	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Threes	B-Application
development	O
began	O
before	O
Ridiculous	B-Application
Fishing	I-Application
March	O
2013	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vollmer	O
considered	O
Drop7	B-Application
an	O
inspiration	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
played	O
it	O
for	O
two	O
years	O
before	O
making	O
his	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
Threes	B-Application
prototype	O
was	O
written	O
in	O
a	O
single	O
night	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
Threes	B-Application
designs	O
had	O
no	O
inclination	O
towards	O
minimalism	B-Device
:	O
the	O
pair	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
needed	O
to	O
appear	O
more	O
complex	O
so	O
as	O
to	O
interest	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wohlwend	O
sent	O
Vollmer	O
designs	O
including	O
sushi-themed	O
tiles	O
that	O
paired	O
fish	O
and	O
rice	O
,	O
a	O
chess	B-Application
theme	O
that	O
paired	O
chess	B-Application
pieces	O
,	O
themes	O
about	O
animals	O
,	O
broccoli	O
and	O
cheese	O
soup	O
,	O
military	O
insignia	O
,	O
hydrogen	O
atoms	O
,	O
and	O
textile	O
patterns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
by	O
Sirvo	B-Application
for	O
iOS	B-Application
on	O
February	O
6	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
and	O
ported	O
by	O
indie	O
developer	O
Hidden	O
Variable	O
Studios	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
on	O
March	O
12	O
,	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
chose	O
to	O
release	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
first	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
small	O
team	O
's	O
difficulty	O
testing	O
across	O
Android	B-Application
platforms	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hidden	O
Variable	O
also	O
developed	O
an	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
version	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
originally	O
announced	O
at	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
E3	O
2014	O
press	O
conference	O
,	O
and	O
released	O
on	O
December	O
5	O
,	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
free	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
version	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
April	O
27	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
free	O
web	B-Protocol
browser	I-Protocol
version	O
in	O
December	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
post-release	O
infographic	O
,	O
Sirvo	B-Application
wrote	O
that	O
the	O
average	O
game	O
length	O
was	O
20	O
minutes	O
,	O
even	O
though	O
they	O
designed	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
sessions	O
to	O
not	O
last	O
longer	O
than	O
10	O
minutes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eurogamer	O
and	O
TouchArcade	O
awarded	O
the	O
game	O
perfect	O
scores	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
latter	O
calling	O
Threes	B-Application
"	O
about	O
as	O
close	O
as	O
it	O
gets	O
to	O
a	O
perfect	O
mobile	O
game	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
reached	O
the	O
top	O
of	O
the	O
Apple	B-Application
App	I-Application
Store	I-Application
paid	O
app	O
sales	O
chart	O
shortly	O
after	O
its	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Re/code	O
reported	O
that	O
it	O
"	O
dominated	O
"	O
the	O
chart	O
in	O
the	O
following	O
weeks	O
and	O
became	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
25	O
highest	O
grossing	O
apps	O
on	O
the	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
later	O
won	O
a	O
2014	O
Apple	O
Design	O
Award	O
and	O
was	O
named	O
Apple	O
's	O
best	O
iPhone	B-Device
game	O
of	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
compared	O
the	O
game	O
with	O
the	O
luck	O
of	O
Drop7	B-Application
,	O
the	O
challenge	O
of	O
Stickets	B-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
"	O
match-by-combining	O
"	O
mechanics	O
in	O
Triple	B-Application
Town	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dan	O
Ryckert	O
of	O
Game	O
Informer	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
had	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
qualities	O
of	O
a	O
successful	O
mobile	O
game	O
:	O
accessibility	O
of	O
short	O
game	O
sessions	O
,	O
easy	O
to	O
learn	O
and	O
tough	O
to	O
master	O
gameplay	O
,	O
room	O
to	O
make	O
and	O
try	O
strategies	O
,	O
and	O
gameplay	O
mechanics	O
suited	O
for	O
touchscreens	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ars	O
Technica	O
Kyle	O
Orland	O
wrote	O
that	O
he	O
expects	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
join	O
Drop7	B-Application
and	O
Super	B-Application
Hexagon	I-Application
on	O
his	O
phone	O
for	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
his	O
life	O
and	O
Crypt	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Necrodancer	I-Application
designer	O
Ryan	O
Clark	O
called	O
Threes	B-Application
the	O
best	O
iOS	B-Application
game	O
he	O
had	O
ever	O
played	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mark	O
Sorrell	O
of	O
Eurogamer	O
compared	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
"	O
profoundly	O
and	O
offensively	O
banal	O
"	O
aesthetic	O
to	O
a	O
"	O
hipster	O
restaurant	O
"	O
with	O
good	O
food	O
but	O
a	O
smug	O
ambiance	O
,	O
citing	O
the	O
soundtrack	O
's	O
"	O
whimsy	O
"	O
and	O
the	O
art	O
style	O
's	O
similarity	O
to	O
iOS	B-Application
game	O
Letterpress	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nick	O
Statt	O
of	O
CNET	O
thought	O
the	O
game	O
had	O
Tetris	B-Device
beauty	O
and	O
Dots	B-Application
visual	O
appeal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Re/code	O
Eric	O
Johnson	O
called	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
descendant	O
of	O
Sudoku	O
,	O
Dots	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Rush	O
Hour	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pocket	O
Gamer	O
Mark	O
Brown	O
thought	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
randomness	O
kept	O
its	O
gameplay	O
interesting	O
and	O
MAME	B-Device
creator	O
Nicola	O
Salmoria	O
wrote	O
an	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
to	O
play	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Comparing	O
Threes	B-Application
to	O
Hundreds	B-Application
as	O
the	O
"	O
quirky	O
American	O
cousin	O
"	O
to	O
Hundreds	B-Application
"	O
European	O
art	O
film	O
"	O
,	O
Martin	O
found	O
Threes	B-Application
more	O
whimsical	O
in	O
nature	O
and	O
extended	O
Ian	O
Bogost	O
's	O
statements	O
in	O
The	O
Atlantic	O
about	O
video	O
games	O
as	O
"	O
haute	O
couture	O
...	O
design	O
objects	O
"	O
to	O
Threes	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Outside	O
developers	O
released	O
games	O
that	O
closely	O
resembled	O
Threes	B-Application
within	O
weeks	O
of	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
browser-based	B-Protocol
version	O
,	O
an	O
"	O
unofficial	O
sort-of-knockoff	O
"	O
Android	B-Application
app	O
(	O
Fives	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
another	O
iPhone	B-Device
game	O
,	O
1024	O
,	O
which	O
advertised	O
itself	O
as	O
"	O
No	O
need	O
to	O
pay	O
for	O
Threes	B-Application
"	O
and	O
was	O
later	O
ported	O
to	O
a	O
browser	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
March	O
2014	O
clone	O
of	O
1024	O
,	O
the	O
browser	B-Protocol
game	I-Protocol
2048	B-Application
,	O
became	O
popular	O
and	O
spawned	O
"	O
dozens	O
of	O
parodies	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Journalists	O
,	O
including	O
those	O
at	O
the	O
Los	O
Angeles	O
Times	O
,	O
did	O
not	O
acknowledge	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
connection	O
to	O
Threes	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Threes	B-Application
team	O
was	O
"	O
puzzled	O
"	O
by	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
these	O
releases	O
,	O
especially	O
those	O
that	O
did	O
not	O
credit	O
their	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
idea	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
criticized	O
2048	B-Application
game	O
design	O
and	O
compared	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
the	O
Commander	B-Application
Keen	I-Application
to	O
their	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
in	O
a	O
45,000	O
-word	O
post	O
outlining	O
their	O
full	O
14-month	O
development	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Threes	B-Application
designer	O
Vollmer	O
would	O
try	O
to	O
remove	O
the	O
clones	O
from	O
online	O
stores	O
but	O
ultimately	O
accepted	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
be	O
copied	O
and	O
resolved	O
that	O
his	O
future	O
games	O
would	O
not	O
share	O
the	O
same	O
fate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eurogamer	O
listed	O
Threes	B-Application
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
top	O
10	O
games	O
of	O
the	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tom	O
's	O
Guide	O
listed	O
Threes	B-Application
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
top	O
30	O
games	O
of	O
the	O
2010s	O
.	O
</s>
