cornered

They take two steps for every one of yours.

You move one square, the hunters move two. Walls are the only thing that slows them down. Reach the gap in the edge before they reach you.

How hard?

medium 6 × 6 · hound and stalker

A stalker joins from level 3. It moves up and down first, so it gets stuck in different places.

about the game

cornereda turn-based escape puzzle game

A free turn-based escape puzzle. Every board is checked by a solver, so there is always a way out, and the fewest-moves answer earns three stars. No download, no account.

cornered is a free turn-based escape puzzle you play in the browser. You are the green orb on a walled grid. Each turn you move one square or wait, then every hunter moves toward you: hounds and stalkers take two steps, the brute takes three. Think of it as trap the cat turned around: here you are the one being chased.

Hunters only ever step closer, and walls stop them cold. The trick is to lure them behind a wall and slip out through the one gap in the outer edge. Every board is checked by a solver, so there is always a way out.

The solver also sets par, the fewest moves out. Escape at par with no hints for three stars. Pick easy, medium or hard, climb the levels, race the daily board or send a friend the exact same board.

Full rules and strategy for cornered

questions

cornered questions

How do you play cornered?

Move one square per turn with the arrow keys, WASD, a swipe or a tap on a square next to you, or wait. After every action the hunters move toward you. Step out through the gap in the edge to escape. If a hunter lands on you, you are caught.

How does each hunter choose its step?

Every hunter only steps in a direction that closes the gap to you. A hound or a brute tries sideways first and then up or down. A stalker tries up or down first and then sideways. If both are blocked by a wall or another hunter, it stays put for that step. Hounds and stalkers take two steps a turn, the brute three.

Why do walls matter so much?

Hunters never step away from you to go round a wall. Put a wall between you and a hunter and it presses against it, stuck, while you walk away. Every solution is about leading hunters into those dead ends.

What does wait do?

Wait keeps you where you are while the hunters take their steps. It is often the best move: it pulls a hunter further into a trap before you run. Press space or the full stop key, the wait button, or tap yourself.

Can I undo a move?

Yes, as often as you like. Undo puts the board back exactly as it was, and restart returns to the start. Your move count is the length of your current path, so undone moves do not count against you.

What are par and stars?

Par is the fewest moves out, found by the solver. Escape at par with no hints for three stars. Within three moves of par with at most one hint earns two stars. Any other escape earns one star.

How do hints work?

A hint solves the board from where you stand and shows the next best move. Easy gives three hints, medium two and hard one. If there is no way out from your position, it says so and the hint is not used up, so undo first.

What changes between the levels?

Easy is a 5 by 5 board with one hound. Medium is 6 by 6, and a stalker joins from level 3. Hard is 7 by 7 with a hound and a stalker, and a three-step brute from level 5. Later levels aim for longer solutions and more walls.

Is there a daily cornered board?

Yes. Today's board is the same for every player on each difficulty, based on the UTC date. Your first escape on each difficulty is the scored one, and later attempts count as practice.

Can I challenge a friend?

Yes. After an escape, press challenge a friend. The link opens the exact same board for them and shows how many moves they have to beat.

Is cornered like other chase puzzles?

Chase puzzles, where you move and the pursuers answer, are a classic genre with a long history. The boards, hunters, rules and levels in cornered are our own, generated fresh from a seed and checked by our own solver.

Is cornered free, and does it work on mobile?

Yes. cornered is free to play in the browser at onedge.fun on phones, tablets and desktops, with no download and no account. Ads never interrupt a board.