The goal
Every level is a board packed with arrows. Tap them off the board one at a time until it is empty. That's it: no timer, no moves counter, no score to chase. Clear the board and the level is won.
How arrows move
Tap an arrow and it slides off the board in the direction its head is pointing. Arrows in Arrowslide are long and often bend round corners, but that doesn't matter: the body follows the head like a train on its own track, so an arrow only ever travels over cells it was already sitting on, then straight out past its head.
What blocks an arrow
Look at the straight line from an arrow's head to the edge of the board, the way it is pointing. That lane is the only thing that matters. If any other arrow has even one cell in it, the arrow is blocked. If the lane is empty, the arrow is free and will fly off when you tap it.
An arrow's own body never gets in its way, and nothing behind or beside the head can stop it. Empty spaces around a picture-shaped board don't block anything either.
Clearing the way
Most arrows start out blocked. The puzzle is finding the order: tap the arrows that are free right now, and the arrows they were blocking get a clear lane in turn. Keep going and the whole knot comes apart.
Two things make this kinder than it sounds. First, every board can be cleared: each one is checked before you see it. Second, tapping a free arrow is never a mistake. Taking an arrow away can only ever open lanes, never close one, so you can't trap yourself by clearing free arrows in the "wrong" order. The only wrong move is tapping an arrow that is blocked.
Hearts
Every level starts with three hearts. Tap a blocked arrow and it lurches forward, bumps into whatever is in its lane, and you lose a heart. Lose all three and the level is over.
When that happens you can keep going with two more hearts, once per level, for 120 coins or by watching a short video. Or start the level again: the board will be exactly the same. Finish a level without losing a heart and you earn a flawless bonus.
Preview, hints and zoom
- Press and hold an arrow to see its way out before you commit. Letting go after a hold only hides the preview; the arrow stays put.
- Hints. Tap the bulb under the board and it lights up a free arrow, and not just any free arrow: the one whose leaving unblocks the most others. A hint costs 60 coins, or a short video if you are short of coins.
- Zoom. On big boards, pinch to zoom in and drag to move around. Double-tap an empty spot to jump in there, and again to zoom back out.
Levels and difficulty
The first few levels teach one idea each. From there, boards grow from about 20 arrows to more than a hundred, and arrows get longer and more tangled.
- Hard levels come every fifth level from level 15: a bigger board, the same rules.
- Expert levels come every tenth level from level 30, and are the densest boards in the game. Our guide to Expert levels has a plan for them.
- After each Hard or Expert level comes a lighter one, to catch your breath.
- Some boards are plain rectangles, some are cut into shapes, and some are drawn as pictures, each in its own colour.
Every level is the same on every phone: level 240 is the same board for you as for anyone else, so you can compare notes with friends.
Coins, chests, daily rewards and badges
- Coins for every clear: 10 for a normal level, 20 for Hard, 30 for Expert, plus 5 more if you made no mistakes. You can watch a video to double them.
- A chest every ten levels, worth a little more each time.
- The daily reward grows over a seven-day streak, from 20 coins on day one to a 150-coin chest on day seven. Miss a day and the streak starts again from day one.
- 17 badges, each paying out coins, from First Flight for your first clear to Legend at level 500. Others reward clearing without a mistake, without a hint, or quickly.
Spend coins on hints and on extra hearts when a level goes wrong.
When ads appear
Arrowslide is free and supported by ads, but never in the middle of a level. From level 12 on, a short ad may play between levels: at most every third level and no more than once every two and a half minutes. Videos for hints, extra hearts or doubled coins are always your choice.