The rule

An arrow can leave the board only if the straight line from its tip to the edge is empty. Tap it and it slides off. If anything sits in that line, the arrow shakes, stays put, and you lose one drop.

That is the whole game. A level is solved when every arrow has left.

Reading an arrow

Longer arrows fold. A single arrow might run left for three cells, turn upward for two, then point right. Follow it to the head, note which way the head faces, and check only that line. Beginners often check the tail's direction, which is the most common early mistake.

Drops

You get 5 drops per level, shown as water droplets in the header. Every blocked tap costs one. Two are yours from the start; the other three can be restored with a drop code, which is free. Run out entirely and the level restarts.

Drops reset when you start or restart a level, so a bad run costs you the level, not your progress.

The hint

Each level gives you one hint. It highlights an arrow in amber that can legally move right now. It does not tell you the best move or the whole order, just one arrow that works, which is usually enough to break a deadlock in your reasoning.

Dependency locks

From level 11, some arrows appear greyed with a marker on them. A locked arrow refuses to move until the specific arrow it depends on has left the board, even if its own path looks clear.

Tapping a locked arrow costs you nothing. It shakes and the status line tells you which arrow is holding it. Use that: locks are a free source of information about the order you need.

Timed blockers

From level 21, some cells pulse between red and amber. Red means solid, amber means passable, and they switch on their own cycle of roughly one and a half to two seconds.

An arrow whose exit line crosses a red cell cannot leave. Wait for amber and it can. This is the only part of the game where timing matters, and it is worth watching a cell for a couple of cycles before committing.

Combos

Clear arrows within about two seconds of each other and a multiplier builds, up to 5x. It affects your score only. It never affects whether you can finish a level, so ignore it entirely while you are learning.

Strategy that actually helps

1. Work the edges first. Arrows near a boundary pointing outward usually have the shortest, emptiest exit lines.
2. Follow the line, not the shape. Trace the exit path cell by cell. A board can look hopelessly tangled while half its arrows are already free.
3. Clearing opens paths. Every arrow that leaves empties its cells. An arrow that was blocked a moment ago may be free now, so re-scan after each move.
4. Let locks tell you the order. A lock is a hint you get for free. Clear the arrow it names and you often unblock a chain.
5. Slow down near blockers. One patient pause beats three blocked taps.
6. Save the hint. It is one per level. Spend it when you are genuinely stuck, not on the first pause.

Playing by keyboard

Focus the board, then use ← and → to step between arrows, Enter to try clearing the selected one, H for the hint and R to restart. The status line under the board describes the selected arrow, including whether its path is clear, blocked or locked.

This is also the easiest way to play very high levels, where cells get small. See the accessibility statement for the full picture.

How levels are built

Each level holds exactly as many arrows as its number, packed inside one of 7 silhouettes that cycle as you climb. Generation is deterministic, so level 250 is the same board for everyone. The levels page goes into the progression in more detail.