The long wooden table by the window: slide your pucks to the far end, knock the other colour off, and leave one hanging over the edge if your touch is good enough.
How a round works
Both sides get four pucks per round and alternate, one slide each, from the near end. With all eight at rest, look for the single puck lying deepest. Its owner, and only its owner, scores: one zone value for each of their pucks that finished deeper than the opponent’s deepest puck.
- The scoring end has three zones worth 1, 2 and 3 points.
- A puck hanging over the far edge without falling scores 4.
- A puck that falls off the table, or stops before the first line, is taken away before scoring.
- Whoever scored opens the next round, so the final puck of the round — the hammer — goes to the side that came away empty.
- Games go to 15 or 21 points; you choose in the new game menu.
Controls
Drag the puck sideways to pick your line, then flick forward. The speed of the flick is the speed of the puck, so a short quick flick and a long slow drag can end up in the same place. The small map in the corner shows the scoring end from above, which helps when pucks are bunched together. On a keyboard, the arrows move and power the puck, A and D change the angle, Space slides.
Strategy
Count before you slide. If you are already holding the farthest puck, you do not need another big shot: a puck that stops just in front of yours guards it, and the other side has to get through two pucks to take the round. If you are behind, decide between a draw shot that beats their best puck and a knock-off that clears it.
The hammer is worth a lot. With the last puck you see everything before you play, so when the other side has the hammer, keep the table simple and score one or two points rather than setting up a crowded end they can clean up.
Hangers are tempting but thin. A puck that pokes over the edge is worth 4, but the edge is only a few centimetres wide in speed terms. Against Easy and Medium a safe 3 often wins more rounds than chasing the 4; Hard and Expert punish a short puck by sliding past it.
Use the width. Pucks collide like real discs, so an angled shot that clips the side of a rival puck can push it off while yours stays in the 3. Straight-on hits tend to send both pucks off together.
The computer at four levels
Easy plays the obvious draw shot and misses the line often. Medium starts knocking pucks off when it is behind. Hard tests several lines and speeds before each slide. Expert also plays guards when it is ahead, so leaving it the hammer with a lead is a real problem.
FAQ
Why did I get no points when two of my pucks were in the 3?
Points go only to the owner of the deepest puck. One rival puck past both of yours, by a whisker or hanging off the end, takes the round, and your pucks are worth nothing in it.
What happens to a puck that stops on a line?
Each zone is measured where the puck lies, and a puck counts for the zone it is in. The map in the corner draws the lines so you can see which side of a line a puck finished on.
Is it better to slide first or last?
Last. The final puck of the round can answer everything the other side has done. That is why the side that scores has to slide first in the next round.
Can I play with a friend?
Of course. Open New, pick Two players and hand the phone across after every slide; the table keeps the score and remembers who holds the hammer.
What is the daily shuffle challenge?
Today’s date sets three rival pucks on the table before you start. Use your four slides to get past them and collect what points you can; every player faces the identical three today.