matching

Mahjong solitaire mechanics drive the gameplay in Shanghai Advance, where players match pairs of tiles to clear the board. Matching requires tiles to have at least one free vertical edge, and players can utilize special pairings like any two seasons or any two flowers to progress. The game ends if no legal moves remain available.

Shooting bubbles of the same color at large bubbles changes all bubbles to that color. In Puzzle mode, multiple levels challenge the player, with conveyor belts and small bubbles growing to normal size after clustering, requiring strategic planning to clear each stage.

Conveyor belts surround certain levels to shift bubble placement, forcing players to time their shots carefully. Shooting colored bubbles into large bubbles triggers a mass color change across the entire level, while miniature pointer and bubble sizes allow for precision shots through narrow gaps. Players can also compete against a friend in the 2-player Battle mode.