GamesLink

Developer and editor · Hanoi, Vietnam

Son Hoang

GitHub

Son Hoang is a software developer based in Hanoi, Vietnam, and the person behind GamesLink. He designed and built every game on the site, and he edits the guides and articles written about them.

Background

Son has worked as a professional software engineer for more than twenty years. He started in large enterprise systems and later led remote engineering teams, building web, mobile and back-end products. Games are where that experience goes now: small, fast-loading games that work as well on a phone as on a computer.

How he works on the games

Each game on GamesLink starts from a simple idea that can be learned in one screen, such as "you only steer; your weapons fire themselves" or "pour until every prism holds one colour". It is then tuned by playing it, and by running the numbers that decide how hard it gets. Several games use licensed 3D art packs, listed with their makers on the credits page. Every game page includes Son's note on how that game was made and a history of its updates.

Guides and corrections

The strategy guides are written from each game's own rules; how we write guides explains the process, including the use of AI writing tools. If something in a guide doesn't match the game, Son wants to know: email contact@gameslink.online.

Games by Son

Survivors ArenaTwenty minutes. One arena. Everything wants you. Merge WorkshopMerge a cottage into a stadium. Lane DefenseHold the lanes. Leak nothing. Gem CascadeMatch three, build specials, clear the board. Snake ArenaGrow long. Don't bump heads. Hold the GateTap a lane. Kite & WindHold to rise. Hop TowerTap to jump. Climb before the spikes catch up. Siege ShotAim and let go. Critter CareTap the right one. Stack YardTap to drop. Stack the yard as high as you dare. NightrunThree lanes. Change lane. That is all. Swarm DodgeYou move. That is the only thing you can do. Nightfall: SurvivorsSurvive the haunted clearing until dawn. EmberdeckTwenty cards, three opponents, no packs to buy. RoutefrontOpen the shortest road to the enemy keep. SkyweaveA balloon goes where the air goes. Run and GunClear the room. Shoot the door open. Take what was behind it. Prism SortPour the light until every prism holds one colour. WordfallLetters fall. Spell them out before the well fills. SumspillPick tiles that touch and add up to the target. MeltpourPour two metals together and they fuse for good. Siding YardThe wagons arrive in the wrong order. They leave in the right one. Facet CircuitOne flying lap, and the corner you know you got wrong. Corridor VaultThe key is down the branch you did not take.

Articles

7 min readCard Battlers for Beginners: Mana Curves, Tempo and TradingA beginner's guide to card battlers: how mana curves work, tempo versus value, when to trade units, and how fixed decks differ from deckbuilding.6 min readDo Word and Number Puzzles Train Your Brain? An Honest LookWord and number puzzles build real skills, but evidence for wider brain benefits is limited. What they do well, what they don't, and how to enjoy them.6 min readGetting Better at One-Button Games: Timing, Rhythm and PatternsOne-button games are simple to learn and hard to master. Practical ways to sharpen your timing, find a rhythm, read patterns early and make short runs count.7 min readHow to Think About Sort Puzzles: Spares, Planning Backwards and UndoSort puzzles reward planning over speed. Learn how spare containers work, why you should plan backwards from the finish, and how to use undo to solve cleanly.6 min readLane and Tower Defense Basics: Leaks, Economy and Focus FireThe core ideas behind lane and tower defense games: why leaks matter, how to split gold between economy and defence, covering every lane and focusing fire.6 min readMatch-Three Special Pieces Explained, and How to Read the BoardHow match-three special pieces are made and combined, which shapes create which specials, and the board-reading habits that turn a few moves into big clears.7 min readPlaying Browser Games on Your Phone: A Practical GuideHow to get browser games running well on a phone: orientation, fullscreen, battery and heat, sound, first-load size, touch controls and home screen shortcuts.7 min readRacing Lines for Time Trials: Braking, Apexes and Exit SpeedThe basics of a racing line for time trials: outside-inside-outside, where the apex goes, why you brake before the turn, and why exit speed decides your lap time.7 min readWhat Is a Survivors-Like? How Bullet Heaven Games WorkSurvivors-likes hand you one job, moving, while your weapons fire themselves. Here is how the genre works, why runs ramp up, and how to build a run that lasts.7 min readWhy Browser Game Progress Disappears, and How to Keep ItBrowser games save progress inside your browser, not on a server. Where saves live, what quietly clears them, and simple habits that keep your progress safe.