By Nick
If you've played Slidesmith before, today's run will feel different. That's on purpose, and it's because of you. Since launch you've played thousands of runs and left more than a hundred ratings, and the game just got a lot better because of what you told us.
What you told us
Most of you liked it: 86 of the 113 ratings said a run felt "just right". But the other side of the numbers was hard to miss. About a third of the runs that got started were never finished. Some of you said it was confusing, some said it was too hard, and the thing underneath both was the same.
In the old version, every move counted towards one score for the whole run. Slip on round one and the board was left in a shape the next rounds were never designed for. You weren't just a move behind, you were on a different, harder puzzle, and nothing told you so. In the runs we could measure, players who missed the best route in round one went on to use 33 extra moves in the next four rounds. Players who found it used 2.
That's not a fair puzzle. A mistake should cost you a moment, not the rest of your run.
What changed
Every round gives you exactly enough moves
Each round now shows how many moves it takes, and that's how many you get. Run out without the shape and you can't keep going, but you can't fall behind either: undo is free, so you just rewind and try a shorter route. When you finish a round, the next one starts on the exact board it was built for. Every round is the puzzle it's meant to be.
Check and Hint, whenever you want them
Check tells you if you're still on track to finish the round in time. Hint shows you where the shape goes, and if you press it again, the next tile to tap. If you've gone the long way, Hint tells you exactly how many moves to undo to get back on track, because sometimes the best move is going back.
A scorecard instead of a score to dread
Your result is now five squares, one per round. 🟩 means you solved it on your own, 🟨 means you used Check, and 🟧 means you used a Hint. Five greens is a Perfect run, which is the new thing to brag about. Using help isn't failing, it just turns the square a different color.
Cleaner boards
New runs don't have walls. They mostly told you where not to look, and the rounds are harder and more interesting without them. A few older boards still in the archive keep theirs.
And a little company
Our brain mascot now sits under the board. It tells you how you're doing, gives you the hints, and cheers when you finish a round. It's small, but it makes the game feel friendlier, and we think you'll like it.
Your old results
Nothing is lost. Runs you played before today keep their old move counts in your history. New runs use the new scorecard.
Keep it coming
Every one of these changes started with a rating, an email or a run that didn't get finished. Our fans make us better, and we read everything. If something feels off, or you love something, tell us with the feedback buttons after a run or at [email protected].