How to play Arrow Puzzle

What is the goal?

Remove every arrow from the board by tapping them in the right order. You win the level when the last arrow has slid out.

How a game starts

• The board is a maze of thin snake-like arrows. Each arrow is a line with a small arrowhead at one end.
• The arrowhead shows the direction the arrow will move when it leaves.
• At the top you see three pearls. They are your mistakes for the level.
• At the bottom are three buttons: Undo, Hint and Peek.

How to play, step by step

1. Pick an arrow and look at its head. Follow the straight line from the head to the edge of the board.
2. If that line is empty, tap the arrow. It slithers along its path and leaves the board.
3. If another arrow is on that line, the arrow is blocked. Clear the blocking arrow first.
4. Keep tapping arrows that are free. Each one you remove opens space for others.
5. If you tap a blocked arrow, it bumps into the arrow in its way and you lose a pearl. It leaves by itself later, once its way is clear.
6. Use Peek to see the way out of any arrow, or Hint if you are stuck.
7. Zoom in with two fingers on dense boards, so you can read each arrow.
8. Clear every arrow before you run out of pearls to finish the level.

How do arrows move in an arrow puzzle?

An arrow moves in the direction its head points, and its whole body follows the same path off the board. It can only move if the straight line from its head to the edge of the board is empty. If another arrow is on that line, the arrow cannot leave yet.

What does a blocked arrow mean?

A blocked arrow has another arrow somewhere in front of its head. In Arrowtide, if you tap a blocked arrow, it bumps into what stops it and you lose a pearl. The arrow stays marked, and it slides out by itself as soon as its way becomes clear.

Can you play the arrows in any order?

You can tap any free arrow at any time, but the order matters. Some arrows block others, so removing the wrong one first does not break anything, but it can leave you with a harder board. Every Arrowtide level has at least one solution, so you never have to guess.

How many mistakes are allowed in an arrow puzzle?

In Arrowtide you have three pearls on each level, and each blocked tap costs one pearl. If you lose all three pearls, the level is failed. You can then continue with three fresh pearls after a short video or with coins, or restart the board for free.

What is the gold arrow?

The gold arrow is a special arrow that is trapped deep in the maze. It can only leave last, after every other arrow is out. If you tap it earlier, it counts as a blocked arrow and costs a pearl, so leave it until the end.

What is the tide in an arrow puzzle?

On Tide levels, the sea rises one row from the bottom after a set number of exits, and it sweeps away any arrows it reaches. A rise that sweeps arrows away costs one pearl, however many arrows it takes. So on these levels, free the low arrows first.

How do you win and score?

Arrowtide has no points on normal levels. You win by removing every arrow, and you lose by running out of your three pearls. Finishing without losing a pearl is a perfect clear, and clearing a level without using a hint is also tracked. The Daily Puzzle and the weekly Tide Challenge record your time and score, and the weekly leaderboard counts only clears with no lost pearl and no hint.

Common beginner mistakes

• Tapping an arrow without checking the full line ahead of its head. Something further along the line can block it.
• Forgetting that the order matters and starting with the arrows at the top, when the arrows at the edge are the free ones.
• Trying to rush on dense boards without zooming in, so you misread where an arrow points.
• Tapping the gold arrow early, when it can only leave last.
• On Tide levels, ignoring the low arrows while the sea keeps rising.

Tips and strategy

• Start with the arrows that point straight at the nearest edge. They are often free right away.
• Always follow the line from the head to the edge with your eye before you tap.
• Use Peek: hold or tap an arrow to see its way out. It shows which arrow is in the way.
• Look for the arrow that blocks the most others, and free it early.
• Work in one area of the board at a time. Clearing one corner often opens the next.
• Zoom in on large boards. A tiny arrow can be easy to misread.
• On Tide levels, clear the arrows near the bottom first, before the sea reaches them.
• Use a Hint when you are stuck for a while. You get 3 free hints each day.

Words to know

Free arrow

An arrow whose straight path ahead of its head is empty, so it can leave.

Blocked arrow

An arrow with another arrow somewhere in its path.

Pearl

One of your three tries on a level. A blocked tap costs one.

Peek

A tool that shows the way out of an arrow you choose.

Gold arrow

A special arrow that can only leave last.

Tide

A rule on some levels where the sea rises and sweeps away arrows near the bottom.

Playing Arrow Puzzle in Arrowtide

Arrowtide is a free arrow puzzle for Android with 1,000 levels, from easy boards to dense Super Hard ones. Every board is checked by a solver, so every level can be solved. Undo and restarts are free, and there are no lives to wait for. On rescue boards, clearing the last arrow frees a sea animal caught in a net, and you collect friends in a Home Reef. There are picture boards, a Daily Puzzle, and a weekly Tide Challenge. Peek and Hint help you when you are stuck, and the game works offline.