Helpers and hints
Every puzzle can be solved without help, and the game never forces you to ask for any. But a puzzle you are stuck on is no fun, so there is a small toolbox under the board. This guide explains each tool, what it does, and what it costs.
The toolbox
- ↶ Undo. Takes back your last move. Always free.
- ☆ Bookmark. Saves the board in a single slot. Tap the star later to go back to it. After you return, your first guess since the bookmark is flashed so that you do not repeat it. Free to use, and the clock keeps running. This is the tool for "I am going to guess, but I want a way back".
- 🔦 Flash. Points at a square you can solve right now and shows which mark goes in it, without placing it for you. It costs no star. In the daily it is free. In levels it uses one charge from your power-up pool.
- 💡 Reveal. Fills a random square for you. In levels it costs a star and a pool charge.
- Pick a square. Spends one of your saved reveals on the square you choose, rather than a random one, which is often what you actually want. It costs a star in levels.
- ⏸ Freeze (levels only). Stops the clock for a few seconds.
- ⏰ More time (levels only). Adds seconds to the clock.
- 🗑 Reset. Starts the puzzle again. In the daily it simply restarts. In a level it costs a heart.
Stars and hints
In levels, each help except Flash costs one star on that level, down to a minimum of one star. You will never lose a level or a streak by asking for help. The daily has no stars to lose, so hints there cost nothing you will miss. Flash and the bookmark are free everywhere, and are the ones to try first.
The pool
In levels, the helpers draw on a shared pool of charges (⚡). One comes back every 20 minutes, and the pool is larger on harder levels, so a tough boss comes with a bigger toolbox. Hearts work separately: a failed attempt costs a heart, and one comes back every 20 minutes too, up to five.
Saved reveals
A saved reveal is a hint you hold in your pocket for a rainy day. You can keep up to three. They are earned by:
- sharing your result (once a day),
- keeping a streak (two for every seven days), and
- earning three stars on a level for the first time.
You spend one with Pick a square, on the square you choose. The number on the button is how many you have.
The daily allowance
The daily puzzle starts with three free reveals. Once they are gone, your saved ones are used. Hints never affect your streak or your calendar stars, so you can use them without worrying about what they cost your record.
Using help well
- Try Flash first. It tells you where to look, not what to put. You learn a technique, and it costs nothing.
- Bookmark before a guess. If the guess is wrong, one tap puts it right.
- Pick, don't reveal, when you can. Choosing the square that unlocks the most is better than a random one.
- Save the clock tools for time-pressure levels (the ⚡ stretch at the end of each stage).
The solving guide has the techniques that make most of these unnecessary.