Untangle: One Knot at a Time

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. The board says how many crossings are left, and every crossing

is marked, 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.

Par is the fewest moves the board can actually be cleared in, worked out by

searching, not estimated. Clearing a board earns a card marked clean, under

par, or both, and 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.

The release build ships without permission to use the internet at all, so

nothing can be sent anywhere even by accident. Progress, points and the streak

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.

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 a deck that is never taken

away and never expires.