How to play
Every square arrow on the board is waiting to slide off in the direction it points. Tap one and it goes, as long as nothing stands between it and the edge. Clear every arrow to finish the board.
The rules
- An arrow can leave only if every square ahead of it, all the way to the edge, has no other arrow in it. Empty squares do not matter, however many there are.
- Tap a free arrow and it slides off the board for good.
- Tap an arrow with something in its path and you lose a life. The arrow bounces back and stays where it was. The arrow you tapped flashes red, the first arrow in its way flashes yellow, and the status line gives the row and column of the blocker.
- You get 3 lives per board. Lose the third and the board is over.
- There is no undo. Clearing an arrow can only make the board easier, so there is nothing to take back, and a lost life stays lost.
Controls
Tap or click an arrow to fire it. On a keyboard, Tab reaches the board, the arrow keys move between arrows, and Enter or Space fires the one in focus. Restart deals the current board again with full lives. On the Daily and on challenges there is no Restart: your first run is the one that counts, and it resumes if you leave and come back.
Modes
Levels
There are 70 fixed levels, in groups of ten. Levels 1 to 10 are 4 by 4, levels 11 to 20 are 5 by 5, and so on up to 10 by 10 for levels 61 to 70. Clearing a level unlocks the next, and the Level menu lets you go back to anything you have unlocked.
Daily
One new board for each calendar date, 7 to 9 squares wide, changing at midnight where you are. You can retry it as often as you like. The first win on a date adds to your streak. A loss does not end a streak, and it survives until a whole calendar day goes by without a win.
Practice
Endless boards that start at 5 by 5 and get bigger and harder with each clear in a row. Losing a board, or pressing Restart, sends your run back to zero. Your best run is saved.
How results are measured
There are no points. A result is your mistakes and your time. When two results are compared, fewer mistakes wins, then the faster time. The clock starts on your first tap and stops while the tab is hidden.
Each board also shows a difficulty label, from easy through medium and hard to expert, with a number beside it. Higher is harder. The number comes from how many arrows there are, how long the longest forced chain is, and how few arrows are free at each stage.
Tips
- Trace before you tap. Follow the line from the arrowhead to the edge. One arrow anywhere along it is enough to cost a life.
- Start at the edges. An arrow on the outer ring pointing outward is always free.
- Order among free arrows does not matter. Removing an arrow can only open paths, never close them, so you cannot paint yourself into a corner. Every free arrow is a safe tap.
- Work in sweeps. On big boards, clear everything free, then look again at what opened up. It is calmer than chasing one arrow's chain.
- Read the flash. After a mistake, the yellow arrow is the first one in the way, but there may be more behind it. Check the whole line before trying again.
Questions
Can a board be impossible?
No. Boards are built so that a clearing order exists, and a solver checks each one before it is used.
Why is there no undo?
A cleared arrow can never get in your way, so taking one back would only add it back in the way. Lost lives cannot be undone.
Why did a quick double tap only cost one life?
A second tap on the same blocked arrow within a quarter of a second is ignored, so a bounced finger is not punished twice.
Do I get the same daily board as everyone else?
Yes. The board is made from the date, so anyone playing on the same date gets the same one.
What does Copy result share?
The board name, whether you cleared it, lives left, taps compared with a perfect run, time and your daily streak. It says nothing about the layout, so it cannot spoil the board.
What happens after level 70?
The button on the final level takes you to Practice, and you can replay any level to improve your best result.