Levels and difficulty

How many levels are there?

Each game has 1,000 levels, so 9,000 across the 9 games. Every level has exactly one solution that you can reach by thinking it through, and every one was checked by a separate solver before it went live.

What are the difficulty levels?

There are five difficulties, each a stretch of levels of its own. Most levels sit in the harder ones, so there is always something to grow into.

How do I unlock harder levels?

Win levels in the difficulty below. 20 Easy wins open Medium, 40 Medium wins open Hard, 60 Hard wins open Expert and 80 Expert wins open Master. A win is any level won once, with any number of stars and hints.

Can I skip straight to the hard levels?

Yes, with Plus: Plus opens every difficulty in every game from day one. Inside a difficulty, levels still go in order, and its last level, the summit, is playable as soon as the difficulty opens.

Can I lose access to a difficulty?

No. Once a difficulty is open it stays open, and every level you have won can always be played again.

How do stars work?

A win earns one to three stars. Solve without hints and without losing a heart for all three. Each lost heart costs a star, and a win always earns at least one.

Do hints cost anything?

No. Hints are free and unlimited. They lower the most stars you can earn on that puzzle: one or two hints allow two stars at most, and many hints allow one star.

• No hints: up to three stars.
• One or two hints: at most two stars.
• Three or more hints that make up a third of your moves, or eight hints on any puzzle: one star.

Following the hints from the start always leads to the solution. If you go off course, a hint says so and offers an undo, rather than a move that cannot work.

What are hearts?

You start each puzzle with 3 hearts. A move that breaks a rule costs a heart and a star, and running out of hearts ends the run, so you can try again. Relaxed mode has no hearts at all.

What is relaxed mode?

Relaxed mode removes hearts, so mistakes never end a puzzle. Rule breaks are shown on the board instead, and a Check button tells you if anything is wrong. Turn it on in Settings, under Comfort. Checking is not a hint.

Do I ever have to guess?

No. Every puzzle has exactly one solution you can reach by logic. The hardest levels may ask you to think a few moves ahead: imagine a choice, follow it, and if a rule breaks, the other choice is right.