Untangle: One Knot at a Time

WorldLetItBe

About this game

Untangle is a quiet rope puzzle. Every rope is tied into two holes on a board,
and the ropes cross each other. Move one end into an empty hole, then another,
until no two ropes cross.

That is the whole rule. There is nothing else to learn, no timer counting down,
and no way to lose.

WHAT IS TANGLED

The path opens with one question: what is tangled right now. Work, the people
around me, money, my body, myself. Choosing one shapes the boards and the
lines that follow for the next stretch, then another area can be chosen when
that one is done. Nothing is locked in for good.

HOW IT PLAYS

Take hold of a rope end and drag it to an empty hole. A rope that is moved is
lifted over the others and laid down on top, so the order things are moved in
is the puzzle. Crossings can be marked on the board from Settings, so the goal
is always visible rather than something to work out.

Boards start with three ropes and nine holes. Ropes are added slowly: the
fourth arrives at level thirteen, and the eighth well past level a hundred.
Meeting a new rope should be an occasion, so it is not made into a routine.

THE LONG BOARDS

Every twenty fifth level from fifty onward is a different animal: a dozen
ropes to start, growing a little more each time one comes round, on the way
to a hundred ropes across more than two hundred holes. Too big to hold in the
head at once, and meant to be taken a section at a time over a sitting rather
than a bus stop. Pinch to zoom in on a corner and work there.

EVERY BOARD CAN BE SOLVED

Each board is built in its solved state first and only then scrambled, so a
solution is known to exist before the board is ever handed over. A hint will
point at one rope and one hole when the board stops making sense.

On smaller boards, par is the fewest moves the board can actually be cleared
in, worked out by searching, not estimated. On the biggest boards no par is
shown, because it cannot be worked out honestly. Clearing a board earns a card
with up to three stars: one for clearing it, one for clearing it clean and one
for finishing at or under par. Every card carries one short line that only
appears because of how that particular board went, not a generic line handed
to everyone.

TODAY'S KNOT

One board a day, the same for every player, sitting outside the path entirely.
It never touches the path's own levels or progress. Clear it and there is a
small tile to keep or share: a day number and a row of marks against par,
never a raw score.

QUIET BY DESIGN

No advertisements. No account. No sign in. Settings has one optional
reminder, off unless turned on, for today's knot; nothing else ever asks.

Progress, points, the streak and the cards are kept on the phone and nowhere
else. Uninstalling takes them with it. The streak rests for a day before it
resets, so missing one day does not erase it.

The game does send anonymous play events, such as a board being cleared, to
Google Firebase Analytics. They carry a random identifier for the install and
are not linked to a name, email address or account.

Sound is a pentatonic scale, so no two notes can clash and nothing a player
does can sound like a mistake. The note rises as the board comes clear, so
solving a board composes a phrase. It can be played in silence and lose
nothing.

A CARD FOR EACH BOARD

Clearing a board earns a card. The cards collect in My cards, a collection
that is never taken away and never expires.