How to play stepping stones (and how to remember a path)
stepping stones is a free sequence memory game you play in the browser. A night pond is filled with river stones in five columns. A path from the dock to the temple shore glows one stone at a time, then fades, and you cross it from memory.
No download, no account, no app. It runs on a phone and keeps working with the network switched off.
How a path works
- Watch. While the WATCH pill is up, the safe stones glow gold one by one, from the bottom row to the top. The dots above the pond count them off.
- Go. When GO appears, step onto any stone in the bottom row, then follow the path upward. Each correct step rings a rising note and leaves a faint gold seam on the stone.
- Cross. Reach the top row and the ninja hops onto the temple shore. The next path is longer.
Moving
Every step must land on one of the eight stones around you, diagonals included. Tap a stone further away and it says “too far”, with no penalty.
On a keyboard, Q, W and E step up-left, up and up-right, and A and D step sideways. On the dock, A and D walk along it so you can reach every column. P peeks.
Splashes and hearts
Step on the wrong stone and it cracks. The ninja sinks with a splash and you lose one of three hearts. The same path then plays again at 0.85 times the speed, and you start over from the dock. Lose all three hearts and the run ends.
Decoys
On medium from path 5, and on hard from the first path, a red flash sometimes lights a stone right next to the real one, about once in every five steps. Red stones are never part of the path. Only follow the gold.
Peeks
Peek lights the next stone in blue for 0.9 seconds and costs 25 points. You get three peeks a run on easy, two on medium and one on hard.
Scoring
- Each correct step: 10 plus the path number.
- Clearing a path: 100 plus 20 per path number.
- A flawless crossing, with no splash on that path: another 100.
- Speed: 15 points for every second you beat 1.1 seconds per stone.
Easy, medium and hard
| easy | medium | hard | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Numbers while watching | yes | no | no |
| Time per stone | 0.62 s, down to 0.38 | 0.5 s, down to 0.26 | 0.4 s, down to 0.2 |
| Decoys | never | from path 5 | from path 1 |
| Stone crumbles | no | no | after 2.6 s |
| Peeks | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Every path is one stone longer than the last, and the pond gains a row every second path.
The daily crossing
Five paths, the same for everyone that UTC day and difficulty. Your first attempt each day goes on the daily leaderboard; play it again and it is marked as practice.
Tips for remembering a path
Say the moves to yourself as they light up: “left, up, right, up”. Chunk them in threes. Watch the column more than the stone, since most steps go up. On hard, keep moving: a stone you stand on for 2.6 seconds gives way.
Frequently asked
How does a path in stepping stones work? The safe stones glow one by one from the bottom row to the top while WATCH is up. When GO appears, start on any bottom-row stone and step along the path to the temple shore.
Which stones can I step to? Only the eight stones around you, diagonals included. A stone further away says too far, with no penalty.
What happens on a wrong stone? It breaks, you splash into the water and lose a heart, and the path replays at 0.85 times the speed while you start again from the dock. Three hearts in all.
What are the red flashes? Decoys. They light a stone next to the real one on medium from path 5 and on hard from the start. Red stones are never on the path.
What does peek do? It shows the next stone in blue for 0.9 seconds and costs 25 points. Easy has three peeks, medium two and hard one.
What is different on hard? A faster show, decoys from the first path, one peek, and the stone under you crumbles if you stand on it for 2.6 seconds.
Is the daily crossing the same for everyone? Yes. It comes from the UTC date and the difficulty and runs five paths. Your first attempt each day is scored and later ones are practice.
Where stepping stones sits
stepping stones is the sequence memory game of the portfolio. For a visual memory test, try recall; for a logic puzzle, try outbound or cornered.