stepping stones

Follow the light across the water.

The safe stones glow one by one, then fade. Cross the night pond from memory, one quiet step at a time, and reach the temple without touching the water.

How hard?

medium no numbers · decoys

No numbers and a faster show. From path 5, fake red flashes try to throw you off.

about the game

stepping stonesa memory path game across a pond

A free sequence memory game. Every path is longer than the last, fake flashes try to fool you, and the daily crossing is the same for everyone. No download, no account.

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 lights up one stone at a time, then fades. Cross it from memory, one step at a time.

Every step must go to a stone next to the one you stand on, diagonals included. A right stone keeps a faint gold seam; a wrong one breaks, you splash into the water and lose a heart, and the path replays a little faster while you start again from the dock. Three hearts, and every path is longer than the last.

Pick easy, medium or hard and chase your best score, or play the daily crossing: five paths that are the same for everyone that UTC day.

Full rules and strategy for stepping stones

questions

stepping stones questions

How does a path in stepping stones work?

While the WATCH pill is up, the safe stones glow gold one by one from the bottom row to the top. When GO appears, start on any stone in the bottom row and step along the path. Reach the top row and the ninja hops onto the temple shore. Each correct step scores 10 plus the path number.

Which stones can I step to?

Only 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, A and D step sideways, and P peeks. From the dock, Q, W and E pick a stone in the bottom row.

What happens when I step on the wrong stone?

It cracks and you sink with a splash. You lose one of three hearts, the path plays again at 0.85 times the speed, and you start over from the dock. Lose all three hearts and the game is over.

What are the red flashes?

Decoys. On medium from path 5, and on hard from the first path, a red flash sometimes lights a stone next to the real one, about once in every five steps. Red stones are never part of the path.

What does peek do?

Peek lights the next stone in blue for 0.9 seconds and costs 25 points. You get three peeks a game on easy, two on medium and one on hard.

How is the score worked out?

Each correct step scores 10 plus the path number. Clearing a path adds 100 plus 20 per path number, another 100 if you never splashed on it, and a speed bonus of 15 points for every second you beat 1.1 seconds per stone.

What changes between easy, medium and hard?

Easy numbers the stones while they glow and shows each one for 0.62 seconds, getting faster every path. Medium drops the numbers, shows each stone for 0.5 seconds and adds decoys from path 5. Hard shows each stone for 0.4 seconds, has decoys from the start, and the stone under you crumbles if you stand on it for 2.6 seconds. Paths and ponds also start longer on harder settings.

How does the daily crossing work?

The daily crossing is five paths that are 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.