Zuma has two main modes: Adventure and Gauntlet. This gives the game additional challenges, despite its repetitive gameplay mechanics. Some stages have a longer line of balls while other stages have multiple golden skulls you have to guard against the balls. Also, the game becomes more complicated as it goes on.
In terms of gameplay, the Aztec aesthetics give the game a unique identity that has helped it stand out from other games in the genre. Also, there are bonuses such as coins for doing trick shots such as passing balls through gaps in the line or power-ups that slow down the movement of the balls or make them go backward for a short time. Aside from the active ball at the mouth of your frog, you can also see a spare one at its back, allowing you to switch between the two balls to make a better shot whenever possible. Your frog is fixed on a position and can only rotate on its axis. Before this happens, you have to eliminate the slowly-moving balls by completing sets of three or more from your trusty ball-spitting frog. At the end of this path is a sacred golden skull, and once the balls reach this skull, it’s game over for you. Each level has a clearly defined path through which a series of balls pass through. The basic objective of Zuma is to complete levels by making all the balls explode.
