Guides / Lantern Isles: Word Puzzle
Lantern Isles Beginner's Guide: Words, Boosters, Coins and Islands
ONI Games · Published
Everything a new player needs in Lantern Isles: Word Puzzle: how a level works, bonus words and combos, the lantern ring and win streak, the five boosters, where coins come from, special levels, the 15 islands and a simple plan for your first week.
Lantern Isles: Word Puzzle is a cozy word game: swipe letters on a wheel to spell words, fill the crossword grid and wake up 15 sleeping islands, one lantern at a time. You travel with Lumi, a little firefly. There are no timers and no lives, so you cannot lose a level: you can only take your time.
We make Lantern Isles, so every number in this guide comes from the game's code.
How a level works
Every level has a letter wheel and a crossword grid. Drag your finger across the letters to spell a word of three letters or more, then let go:
- A word that belongs in the grid fills its tiles and lights up more of the island behind it.
- A real word that is not in the grid is a bonus word. It fills the ring around the star button next to the wheel, and every 50 bonus words pay 20 coins.
- Anything else shakes and counts as a wrong word.
Fill every tile to solve the level. The tiles you have found stay found when you leave, so you can stop at any moment and carry on later. Tap any word you have found in the grid to see what it means.
Each island also has its own song in six layers: every word you find brings in the next one, and the whole song plays when the level is solved. The letters on the wheel play notes that always fit the song.
Combos: coins for words in a row
Find grid words one after another without a wrong word in between and you build a combo. The second word in a row adds 1 coin, the third 2 more, the fourth 3 more and so on, so six words in a row pay 15 coins. A wrong word starts the count again; bonus words neither break it nor add to it. The combo coins are paid when the level is solved, and an optional video doubles them.
Free letters: the lantern ring and the win streak
The glowing ring around the wheel is Lumi's lantern ring. Every word you find charges it, longer words more, and a word found within 8 seconds of the one before counts double. A full ring reveals one letter in the grid for free, and the charge carries over from level to level.
Your win streak counts the levels you solve in a row without a booster. With a streak of 3 the next level starts with 1 free letter, with 6 it starts with 2 and with 10 it starts with 3. Any booster ends the streak; shuffling and the free letters never do.
The five boosters
| Booster | What it does | Price | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shuffle | Mixes the letters on the wheel | Free | From the start |
| Bulb | Reveals one random letter | 100 coins | Level 3 |
| Finger | Reveals the tile you tap | 200 coins | Level 4 |
| Lightning | Reveals 3 random letters, up to 6 in later levels | 300 coins | Level 5 |
| Rocket | Reveals the first and the last letter of a random word | 200 coins | Level 11 |
You start with 200 coins and two of each paid booster, and boosters you own are used before your coins. Out of coins? Tap the booster you want and you can watch a short video to get it for free. And if you find no word for 30 seconds, Lumi flies to the first letter of an easy word on the wheel, at no cost.
Where coins come from
| Source | Coins |
|---|---|
| Combos | 1 more for every grid word in a row |
| Every 50 bonus words | 20 |
| A freed firefly on a firefly level | 3 |
| The golden word on a golden level | 4 per letter |
| A guardian level | Its combo coins doubled, plus 50 |
| The Daily Challenge | 25, plus 500 for a full month |
| The Word of the Day | 30 |
| The Daily Gift | 20 to 150 a day |
| Lumi's Jar | 2 per firefly, 60 when full |
| The weekly league | 20 to 300 |
| Medals | 40 to 150 each |
| Free coins in the shop | 30 per video, 5 a day |
Our boosters and coins guide has every number, including which booster is the best value.
Special levels and guardians
From level 12, every third level has a twist, and a new kind joins at levels 12, 20, 30 and 45:
| Special level | From level | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Firefly level | 12 | Sleeping fireflies hide in some tiles; fill those tiles to set them free for coins |
| Golden word | 20 | One word is golden and pays 4 coins per letter |
| Night level | 30 | The grid is dark, and every word you find lights up the tiles around it |
| Locked tiles | 45 | Locked tiles open when a word next to them is found; boosters cannot open them |
The last level of every island is its guardian: a bigger puzzle with double rewards. It pays twice the combo coins plus 50, 3 village stars instead of 1 and twice the pass lanterns, and solving it wakes up the whole island.
The 15 islands
The journey runs from Firefly Harbor to Starlight Summit, where Lumi lights the Great Lantern. The first island has 10 levels, every island after it has 2 more, and Starlight Summit has 40: 362 levels in all. After the summit a new sea opens with the same 15 islands and 40 levels on each, so the journey never ends. Our islands guide lists every island with its levels.
Daily and weekly games
- Daily Challenge: one puzzle a day, the same for everyone in your language. Missed days of the current month can be caught up, and a month with every day solved wins that month's trophy.
- Word of the Day: guess the five-letter word in six tries.
- Weekly League: points from words, levels and puzzles, in a group of 30 from Monday to Sunday.
- Lantern Pass: a monthly season of 30 tiers with a free reward on every tier.
Our daily challenge, league and pass guide explains each of them.
A plan for your first week
- Claim the Daily Gift every day. Missing a day never resets it.
- Play the Daily Challenge and the Word of the Day: 25 and 30 coins, plus league points.
- Look for bonus words. Each one fills the star button's ring toward 20 coins and goes into My Dictionary.
- Shuffle before you pay for a letter: it is free and keeps your win streak alive.
- Empty Lumi's Jar when it is full, about every six hours.
- Spend your stars in Lumi's village: you earn 1 per level, 3 per guardian and 2 per Daily Challenge.
Beginner FAQ
Is Lantern Isles free?
Yes. Reward videos play only when you choose one. After the first 20 levels a short ad can appear between islands, at most once every four minutes and never during a level; the No Ads purchase removes those.
Can I lose a level?
No. There are no timers and no lives. If you get stuck, shuffle the letters, wait for Lumi's hint or use a booster.
Can I play offline?
Yes. The levels, the Daily Challenge and the Word of the Day work without an internet connection. Clubs, videos, purchases and the cloud save need one.
How do I keep my progress on a new phone?
Sign in to Google Play Games. The game keeps a copy of your progress there and brings it back after a reinstall or on a new phone.
Light your first lantern in Lantern Isles: Word Puzzle, free on Google Play.
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