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How to play Pondful

Pondful is a grid puzzle where the answer is always there to be reasoned out. You have a square of coloured ponds and a few ducklings to settle, and every placement has to be justified by the rest of the board.

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The three rules of the grid

The grid is cut into coloured regions called ponds, and there are as many ponds as there are rows. Your job is to settle exactly one duckling in each of three kinds of line:

  1. One duckling in every row.
  2. One duckling in every column.
  3. One duckling in every pond.

On top of that, no two ducklings may touch, not even at a corner. So a duckling rules out the eight squares around it, as well as the rest of its own row, column and pond.

Crosses and ducklings: the three taps

Each square cycles through three states as you tap it:

  • First tap: a cross, meaning no duckling can be here.
  • Second tap: a duckling.
  • Third tap: the square is empty again.

Drag across squares to cross out many of them at once. Crosses are your notes. They do not count toward the answer, but they keep you from losing track of what you have ruled out.

At a keyboard, the arrow keys move around the grid, X places a cross, D places a duckling, Backspace or Delete empties a square, and Z undoes. Space does the same as a tap.

Letting the crossing helper do the dull part

In the menu there is a setting called the crossing helper. When it is on, every square that a duckling rules out is crossed for you, and taking the duckling back off takes its crosses away too. If you want to practise reading a grid for yourself, leave it off.

Reasoning your way through the grid

Each grid has exactly one solution, and it can be reached by logic alone, so there is never a reason to guess. Typical steps include:

  • A pond with only one free square left must put its duckling there.
  • If all of a pond's free squares lie in one row, that row's duckling is that pond's duckling, so everything else in the row can be crossed out.
  • Several ponds that fit only inside the same few rows claim those rows between them.

Look for small ponds first. They have the fewest places to go.

Tiny's hints, and what they cost

The Hint button asks Tiny for the next useful thing to do on your own board, with a reason in plain words. If you have made a mistake, the hint points at that first: two ducklings that clash, a duckling that cannot stay, or a cross on a square where a duckling belongs. Otherwise it explains the easiest logical step available. On the daily board each hint adds 30 seconds to your time.

Undo steps back one move, and Clear wipes the grid of marks. A clean result means you never placed a duckling that broke a rule.

One grid a day, bigger as the week goes on

Today's grid is the same for everyone and changes daily. The size follows the week: a six by six grid on Monday, seven by seven on Tuesday and Wednesday, eight by eight on Thursday and Friday, and nine by nine on Saturday and Sunday. Sunday's grid is graded Tough, and the other days run from Gentle to Tricky. The grade is printed on the day line above the grid, for example "Sunday, Oct 18 · 9×9 · Tough", and on every level button, so you know what you're in for before you start.

A clock counts the time you take. The board ranks seconds, plus half a minute for each hint, and lower is better. Your first finished go on a day is the one that counts, and later ones are practice.

The level path in Pondful

The Levels tab has a path that keeps climbing. It starts with five by five grids, grows to six by six after the third level, and goes up to ten by ten past level ninety. The game remembers your fastest time on each level.

Keeping a Pondful streak alive

Finishing the daily grid on its own day grows your streak. Every seventh day in a row earns a freeze, up to two, and each covers one missed day. When you return after a gap the game tells you once whether the streak was saved. The shared result shows a row of ducklings, a light bulb for each hint, and your time.

Pondful questions answered

Is guessing ever needed?

No. Every grid is checked to have one answer that logic can reach, and the hint explains the reasoning.

Why are two squares crossed that I did not cross?

That is the crossing helper. You can switch it off in the menu.

Does touching include corners?

Yes. Two ducklings may not be next to each other in any of the eight directions.

Can I play the daily grid again?

Yes, as practice. Only your first finished go counts for the board and the streak.

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