How to play / Duckling Ferry Jam
How to play Duckling Ferry Jam
Imagine a crowded harbour where every little pedal boat can only move the way its duck head faces, and many have another boat parked in front. Duckling Ferry Jam is about working out which boat to free first, so the ducklings waiting on the bank can climb aboard the boat that matches them.
The harbour, the pier and the line of ducklings
The harbour is a grid of boats. Some boats are two squares long (pedal boats) and some three (little ferries), each with a duck head showing the way it sails. Along the pier are empty berths, five on most docks. On the bank stands a line of ducklings, each wanting a boat of its own colour.
Sailing a boat to the pier
Touch a boat and, if nothing sits between its bow and the edge of the harbour, it sails out and round to the first free berth. If another boat is in the way, it only bumps and stays put. A bump still counts as a move.
Once a boat is moored, the duckling at the front of the line climbs aboard if the colours match, and then the next one steps up. Each boat has three seats. When all three are filled, the boat toots and sails home, and its berth is free again. You win when every boat has left and every duckling has had a ride.
Telling the colours apart by shape
The game uses up to six colours: red, blue, green, purple, orange and pink. Each also has its own mark, a circle, triangle, square, star, heart or diamond, so colour is never the only clue.
What counts as a move, and what par means
- Every tap on a boat counts as one move, including taps that only bump.
- Each undo counts as one move.
- In the daily dock, each hint counts as two moves, and starting the dock over counts as one.
Par is one move for each boat, which means a perfect dock has no bumps, no undos and no hints. Finishing on par earns three stars on a numbered dock, or a gold medal on the daily. One or two over par earns two stars or silver, and any cleared dock earns one star or bronze.
When the pier is full
The pier can fill up with boats that nobody at the front of the line wants. That is a jam. The game tells you and offers Undo last boat, Start the dock again, or, on a numbered dock, one extra berth. The extra berth can be opened once per dock and it stays open if you undo. The game may ask you to watch a short advert before opening it.
Numbered docks and the dock of the day
The numbered docks make a path that keeps going. Dock 1 has three boats and dock 2 has a boat in another's way, so they teach you step by step with a coach that points at a good boat. As the numbers rise you get more boats, more colours, and now and then a trickier dock, with an easier breather dock mixed in. From dock 50, most docks have four berths.
The dock of the day is one harbour, the same for everyone, and your first go is the one that counts. You can practise it again afterwards without changing your result. Afterwards you can share a spoiler-free picture of your taps or post your moves to the day's board.
Hints and starting over
Hint shows the boat to tap next. It is free on numbered docks and costs two moves on the daily. Restart puts everything back as it began, for one move on the daily and nothing on a numbered dock. On a keyboard, press Tab to reach a boat and Enter to sail it, U to undo, H for a hint and R to restart.
Keeping the dock streak alive
Clearing the daily dock builds a streak. Every seven days in a row earns a freeze, you can hold two, and each freeze covers a missed day.
Ways to avoid a jam
- Read the front of the line first; free the boats the next few ducklings want.
- A boat that blocks several others is often worth freeing early, because it opens the lanes behind it.
- Empty berths keep you out of trouble, so avoid mooring boats nobody needs yet.
Duckling Ferry Jam questions answered
Why did my boat not sail when I tapped it?
Another boat is in its lane. The bump shows which one, and you need to send that boat out first.
Can every dock be cleared?
Yes. The harbours are built so that there is always an order that empties them, and the Hint button finds the next tap in one.
Is there any time limit?
No. There is no clock on the dock. The score counts moves only.
Do bumps ruin my medal?
Not by themselves. Silver allows up to two moves over par.
More games like Duckling Ferry Jam
- How to play Puddle Ferry: another game about moving ducks across water.
- How to play Nest Blocks: a daily puzzle where planning ahead matters.
- How to play Pondful: a daily logic puzzle that rewards careful thinking before you move.