How to play

Two puzzles, a couple of minutes each. Pick one below, or read the rules and look at a worked example first.

Jump to: Pondlight · Paint Roller · Good to know

Pondlight

Drop three stones into the pond so that every lotus lights up and every plain pad stays dry.

Drop a stone. Each stone sends a ripple a few steps across the water. Rocks block it.
Light the lotus. A pad hit by an odd number of ripples lights up.
Keep the rest dry. Two ripples meeting cancel each other, so the pad stays dark.

Three stars for a perfect solve, fewer if you take extra moves or use a hint. On a keyboard: arrow keys, Enter (place or lift a stone), Z (undo), R (reset), H (hint).

Three worked examples

The pondPuzzle #256 as it starts. The 4 pink buds are lotus waiting to be lit, the 4 plain green pads must stay dry, and the 4 grey rocks block ripples. You place three stones on open water.

One stone, one rippleA stone on row 1, column 4 sends a ripple three steps. The numbers show how many steps each square is from the stone, and a ripple walks around rocks rather than over them. This stone lights 2 lotus and also wets 1 plain pad, which the other stones must cancel.

Ripples cancelThe solution: all 4 lotus are lit and every plain pad is dry. 2 pads marked with a dashed ring were reached by two ripples, which cancel each other, so they stay dark. That cancelling is the whole trick.

Common mistakes

Counting overlaps as extra bright. A pad hit twice is dark again, not doubly lit. Use overlaps on purpose to keep a plain pad dry.
Jumping ripples over rocks. A ripple spreads step by step through open water and walks around a rock, so the squares behind a rock are often out of reach. Count the steps the long way round.
Lighting every lotus and stopping. A solve needs every plain pad dry as well. Check the plain pads after each stone.
Spending hints early. A hint places a correct stone for you but caps the day at two stars. Try a stone on the hardest lotus first.
Trying to place a stone on a pad or rock. Stones only go on open water; the pond springs the stone back if you try.

Play Pondlight Illustrated tutorial

Paint Roller

Recreate the target picture by rolling whole rows and columns of paint.

Pick a colour. Tap a swatch and your roller loads up with that paint.
Roll a line. Tap an arrow, or swipe on the canvas, to paint a whole row or column.
Match the target. Rolls cover what is underneath, so order matters. Match the picture in par rolls or fewer for three stars.

On a keyboard: 1 to 4 pick a colour, Tab to a row or column arrow and press Enter to roll it, Z undoes, G shows a ghost of every cell that still differs.

Three worked examples

The target“Monday awning”, puzzle #256. This is the picture you copy. You always start from a blank cream canvas, and par for this one is 9 rolls.

Halfway thereAfter 4 of the 9 rolls. The broad lines that sit underneath everything go down first; the details are saved for later because later rolls cover earlier ones.

The last rollFinished in 9 rolls. The outlined line, row 6 green, was rolled last. It crosses lines painted before it, so it had to come last or it would have been painted over.

Common mistakes

Painting the details first. Every roll covers what was under it, so small details painted early get wiped out. Lay the broad background lines first and finish with the lines that sit on top.
Forgetting to read the picture backwards. The last roll is always a complete line of one colour. Find that line first, then work out what came before it.
Rolling a line that is already that colour. Nothing changes, the arrow shakes and it does not count as a roll, but it is a sign you are repeating yourself.
Ignoring cream. Some pictures keep bare canvas. Cream is a paint too, so you can roll it to wipe a line back to the paper.
Settling for a solve that is not par. Par is the true minimum, found by a solver. If you used more rolls, press Undo and look for a line you can combine.

Play Paint Roller Illustrated tutorial

Good to know

A new puzzle for each game arrives at your local midnight.
Your daily streak counts every day you solve at least one puzzle. Each game also keeps its own streak.
Theme, reduced motion, sound, haptics and colour-blind patterns are shared between the games.
Missed a day? The archive lists the last 60 days of both games.