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How to play ArrowFire

The rules of ArrowFire's arrow puzzles, the new pieces that arrive in later chapters, and how to read a tangled board.

· 1 min read · Powered By Thistle

ArrowFire looks busy at first: a board full of winding, overlapping arrows. Once you know what to look for, it becomes a calm little puzzle about order.

The rules

  • Each arrow is a path with a head at one end.
  • Tap an arrow and it slides off the board in the direction it's pointing, along its own path.
  • It can only go if its way out is clear. If another arrow is in the way, it bumps and stays put. There's no penalty, it just doesn't move.
  • Clear every arrow to finish the level.

So the whole game is choosing the right order.

How to read a board

  1. Start at the edges. Arrows near the edge, pointing outwards, are usually free straight away.
  2. Follow the blockers. When an arrow is stuck, trace what's in its way. That arrow needs to go first.
  3. Work in layers. Clearing the outside often opens up the middle.

Shaped boards and chapters

There are 1,000 levels across 22 chapters, starting with 4×4 warm-ups and growing to large boards. About one level in three is a shaped board: hearts, stars, cats and more.

What changes later

Later chapters add pieces that make the order matter even more:

  • Compass arrows can be turned to point a new way, but only a limited number of times.
  • Locked gates and linked pairs add new rules about what has to move, and when.

Help when you want it

Undo is always free. The first 100 levels come with unlimited hints, so you can always see the next move if you're stuck. Everything works offline, in nine languages.

One optional purchase, the Full Game Pass, opens all 1,000 levels for good. There's no subscription.

Read more about ArrowFire.

The appArrowFireAn arrow-untangling puzzle for iPhone

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