Chain Reaction and Chain Rxn, explained
Chain Rxn ("chain reaction") was one of the quiet hits of Facebook's early game years. Released by Zwigglers around 2009, it had about 1.5 million monthly players on Facebook by May of that year, according to Adweek, and later got an iPhone version. People loved it for exactly what it was: a calm, one-click game with drifting coloured balls and wind-chime explosions, plus a score you could compare with your friends. When Facebook's old app platform disappeared, so did the game, and people still ask about it on forums. This page is a tribute built from scratch for the browser, without the original's code or graphics.
How a chain reaction works
Your click creates one explosion. Any ball that touches an explosion while it is visible turns into an explosion itself, which can catch other balls, and so on. Explosions grow quickly, hold their size for about two and a half seconds and then fade. Because the balls keep moving, a ball that is just out of reach can still drift into an explosion, which is why the end of a chain often surprises you.
Why chains beat clusters
The score depends on the length of the chain, not the number of balls. Every ball scores 100 × depth³, just like in the original (gameplay videos show the 16th link of a chain scoring +409,600), where depth is its position in the chain: the balls caught by your click are depth 1, the balls they catch are depth 2, and so on. Ten balls caught at depth 1 are worth 1,000 points; one ball at depth 10 is worth 100,000.
Strategy tips
| Tip | Why it works |
|---|
| Start at the edge of a group, not in the middle | The reaction travels through the group one ball at a time, so the chain gets longer |
| Look at where the balls are going | An explosion lasts a few seconds; aim where two or three balls are about to meet |
| On the early levels, play for points | The goals are low, so you can risk a smaller first catch for a longer chain |
| On levels 11 and 12, play for coverage | Clearing 44 of 55 and 55 of 60 needs a reaction that sweeps the whole board |
| Corners and walls help | Balls bounce back into explosions near the edges |
Where the idea comes from
Chain Rxn followed Boomshine, a 2007 Flash game by Danny Miller with the same one-click chain-reaction idea, glowing circles and ambient music. Chain Rxn brought it to Facebook with friends' leaderboards and a scoring system built around long chains. The idea lives on in many clones and mobile games; this version stays close to the original's feel: the same 12 levels and goals, one click, chimes, a dark grey board with small flat dots and the "Explode 6 balls … Last ball!" countdown. The name, title screen and level screens are our own.
Daily chain
The daily chain puts 60 balls on the board in the same starting positions for everyone, based on today's date. You have one click and no goal: make the longest chain and the highest score you can, as often as you like. Your best of the day is kept in this browser; copy your result to compare with friends.
Not the original
Chain Reaction is an unofficial fan tribute. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Zwigglers or the makers of Boomshine. "Chain Rxn" is used only to describe what inspired this game. All code, graphics and sounds were made from scratch for this page. If you hold rights in the original and have a concern, please get in touch through the contact details on the home page.
Privacy
The game runs entirely in your browser. There is no account, no ads and no tracking in the game; your best scores and sound setting are saved in local storage on this device.