How to play Arrow Escape
- Press Start. Level 1 points at the first line to tap.
- Look at the arrowhead at the end of each line. It shows the only direction the line can move.
- Follow that direction with your eye all the way to the edge of the board. If nothing is in the way, tap the line and it slides off.
- If another line is on the path, the line bumps into it and springs back, and you lose a heart. Three bumps and the level is over.
- Lines with ice crystals are frozen. They cannot move until a line touching them has left the board, which melts the ice.
- Clear every line to finish. No bumps and no hints earns three stars.
About Arrow Escape
Arrow Escape is a line-clearing logic puzzle on a dark board packed edge to edge with glowing neon lines. Every line ends in an arrowhead, and that arrow is the only way it can move. Tap a line and it slides forward, its whole body following the arrow like a snake, until it has left the board, but only if the straight path from the arrowhead to the edge is empty. If another line sits anywhere on that path, your line shoots forward, bumps into it and springs back, and you lose one of your three hearts. The puzzle is the order. A line buried in the middle of the board may look hopeless, yet once the three lines in its way have gone, it slides out in one smooth move, and that move often opens the road for several more. Levels start with a handful of short lines on a small board and grow fast: by level five the board is thirteen squares wide, and from level thirty every board is a twenty by twenty-nine maze with lines that twist and turn across the whole screen. From chapter two, some lines arrive frozen under a layer of ice: they cannot move at all until a line touching them has left, which adds a second layer of planning. Every board is built together with an order that clears it, so there is always a way out, and the daily board is the same puzzle for every player that day.
Controls
| Input | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tap or click a line | Send it out the way its arrow points |
| Arrow keys | Move the yellow cursor over the board |
| Enter or Space | Send out the line under the cursor |
| H or the bulb button | Highlight a line with a clear path (costs a star) (3 per level) |
| P and R | Pause and restart the level |
Tips and strategy
- Start at the edges. Lines whose arrows point out of the board from the outer rows and columns often have nothing in front of them, and each one you clear opens space for the lines behind it.
- Trace before you tap. Run your eye from the arrowhead straight to the edge; one short line far away on that path is enough to block it.
- Work backwards when you are stuck. Pick a line you want gone, find the lines sitting on its path, then ask what is blocking those.
- Clear long lines early. A long line that leaves frees a lot of squares at once, and it usually unblocks several other paths in one move.
- Melt the ice on purpose. A frozen line needs a neighbor to leave first, so look at the lines touching it and plan which one goes out first.
- Keep a rhythm. Clearing lines within about a second and a half of each other builds a combo that multiplies your points, so once you have spotted a safe chain, tap through it quickly.
Questions and answers
Is every level solvable?
Yes. Each board is generated together with an order that clears every line, and frozen lines are only placed where a touching line can leave before them. There is never a dead end you cannot get out of.
How many levels are there?
One hundred, in five chapters: First lines, Thin ice, Tangles, Big city and Night maze. Boards grow quickly from four by six squares to twenty by twenty-nine, frozen lines arrive in chapter two, and later levels pack in longer, twistier lines.
What happens when I run out of hearts?
The level ends and you can try again straight away. The board stays the same, so what you learned about the order carries over to the next try.
How do I get three stars?
Clear every line without a bump and without using a hint. Each bump costs a star, and using any hints caps the level at two stars. Stars unlock new board themes, from Deep sea to Deep space.
How is this different from Worm Escape?
Both use the same idea of sliding pieces out the way they point. Worm Escape is a gentle, cute version with a few worms on small garden beds. Arrow Escape is the big-board version: dozens of long, winding lines that fill the whole screen, plus frozen lines.
Do I need to sign up or download anything?
No. Arrow Escape runs in your browser on phones, tablets and computers, and your stars and settings are saved on your device.
