About

The 2048 Retro Edition is a sliding block puzzle that operates on a 4×4 grid. The objective is to combine tiles containing powers of two to reach the terminal tile value of 2048. The game logic relies on a deterministic merge algorithm where tiles of equal value x combine to form 2x.

Mathematically, the game explores exponential growth. Starting with base values {2, 4}, the player must manage the grid's entropy. As the grid fills, the number of available empty states (S_empty) decreases, increasing the risk of a GAME OVER state where no legal moves remain (i.e., limit(moves) → 0). This edition features a specialized 8-bit audio engine and CRT-style visual processing.

Formulas

Score Calculation per Merge:

Score_new = Score_old + n∑i=1 (v₁ + v₂)

Where v₁ and v₂ are merging tiles.

Maximum Possible Tile (Theoretical):

T_max ≈ 2¹⁷ = 131,072 (Requires perfect 4-spawn RNG)

Reference Data

Tile Value	Formula	Color Hex	Rarity (Spawn)
2	2¹	#eee4da	90%
4	2²	#ede0c8	10%
8	2³	#f2b179	Merge Only
16	2⁴	#f59563	Merge Only
32	2⁵	#f67c5f	Merge Only
64	2⁶	#f65e3b	Merge Only
128	2⁷	#edcf72	Merge Only
256	2⁸	#edcc61	Merge Only
512	2⁹	#edc850	Merge Only
1024	2¹⁰	#edc53f	Merge Only
2048	2¹¹	#edc22e	Win Condition

Frequently Asked Questions

The algorithm spawns a new tile in a random empty cell after every valid move. There is a 90% probability of spawning a 2 and a 10% probability of spawning a 4. This stochastic element prevents purely deterministic pattern solving.

A full grid does not immediately indicate a loss. The system checks adjacent cells (Top, Bottom, Left, Right). If any adjacent pair satisfies Value(A) = Value(B), a merge is still possible. If no matches exist, the Game Over state is triggered.

The most effective heuristic is the "Corner Strategy". Keep your highest value tile in one corner (e.g., Bottom-Right) and build a monotonic chain of decreasing values along the edge. This maximizes the spatial efficiency of the board.

Yes. The application uses LocalStorage to persist the entire grid state, current score, and high score. You can close the browser and resume exactly where you left off.