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How to play / Hatch Day

How to play Hatch Day

A cluster of coloured eggs is stuck to the top of the screen, and a duck named Tiny stands at the bottom with an egg in his bill. You aim, he flicks it upward, and if it lands next to eggs of its own colour, they hatch into ducklings. You can learn it in one throw.

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Aiming and throwing

On a phone or tablet, drag to aim and let go to throw. With a mouse, point and click. The egg flies straight, bounces off the side walls, and sticks where it lands. A dotted line shows the first bounce only.

On a keyboard, the left and right arrows aim (Shift makes finer steps), Space or the up arrow throws, X or the down arrow swaps, and P pauses. A game controller works too.

Hatching three of a kind

When three or more eggs of the same colour touch, they all hatch. The eggs that count as touching are the ones next to each other in the nest, so look for a spot beside two matching eggs.

Eggs left hanging

Every egg must be joined, directly or through other eggs, to the top. When a hatch cuts some eggs loose, they float down and hatch too, and they are worth more than eggs you hatched yourself.

Telling the six eggs apart

There are six kinds of egg, each with its own pattern as well as colour:

  • Cream, plain.
  • Pale green, with bands.
  • Blue-green, with a zigzag.
  • Freckled.
  • Near-black, with a sheen.
  • Gold, with stars.

Early levels use only three kinds, and more arrive up to all six.

The waiting egg and the swap

A second egg waits beside Tiny. Tap it, or press X, to swap it into his bill. Swapping is free, so check both eggs before every throw. If the colour of an egg in hand has left the nest, the game swaps in one that is still there.

The nest egg

If one throw hatches seven or more eggs, counting the ones that float down, the next egg you get is a special nest egg. It hatches every egg it lands against, whatever their colour.

Why the nest keeps coming down

Every few throws the whole nest settles one row closer to Tiny. On early levels this happens every twelve throws, and on the latest every seven. If any egg crosses the dashed line, the nest is full.

Counting the score and the stars

  • Each egg you hatch is worth 10 points.
  • Eggs that float down score 20, then 40, then 60 and so on, up to 200 each, so a big drop is worth a lot.
  • Hatching on three throws in a row doubles your points, and on six in a row it triples them. A throw that hatches nothing resets the count.
  • Clearing the whole nest adds 1,000 points, plus 25 more for every throw under 60 you took.

On the numbered levels you also earn stars. Each level has a par, which is the number of throws our computer needed to clear it. Clearing in par or fewer earns three stars, up to one and a half times par earns two, and anything more earns one.

Levels, the endless nest and the daily clutch

  • Sixty levels open one after another. On a level, one full nest ends the go and you can start the level again.
  • The endless nest keeps adding new rows from the top and gives you three tries. When the nest fills, you lose a try and the bottom rows roll away. Clearing the board brings a fresh clutch and 1,000 points. When the last try is gone, you may be offered one extra try, which may involve a short advert. Your best score is saved.
  • The daily clutch is one nest, the same for everyone, with no clock. Your first go counts; practising again does not change it.

The daily keeps a streak of days in a row. Every seven days in a row earns a streak freeze, up to two, and each covers a missed day. You can share a short result showing how much of the nest hatched.

Throwing smarter

  • Hatch eggs near the top that hold up many others, and a whole section floats down.
  • Use the bounce to reach eggs hidden behind others.
  • Each throw brings the next settling closer, so swap when the egg in hand has no good place.

Hatch Day questions answered

Why did my egg not hatch anything?

It did not land beside two eggs of its own colour. Three are needed, counting the one you threw.

What happens when an egg sticks past the dashed line?

On a level or the daily the go is over. In the endless nest you lose one of your three tries.

Can I pause in the middle of a nest?

Yes. The menu button, or P on a keyboard, pauses the game and lets you start the nest again.

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