How to play / Puffduck
How to play Puffduck
A squirrel on a branch is throwing acorns at six duck nests, and a small hail cloud drifts overhead doing the same. In Puffduck three guard ducks blow soft clouds into the sky, and anything that drifts into a cloud pops.
Puffing a cloud into the sky
Touch the sky and the nearest guard duck puffs a cloud toward that spot. The puff takes a moment to travel, then blooms into a cloud that holds briefly and thins away. Anything that touches the bloom pops, so aim ahead of what is falling rather than at it.
Each guard holds three puffs, shown as bubbles on the water beside it, and spent puffs come back by themselves. Only the nearest ready guard answers a touch.
Rattled nests and the straw that rebuilds them
A nest that gets hit is rattled: its eggs roll safe into the reeds and the nest is out until it is rebuilt after the wave, at one bundle of straw each. You begin with three bundles, find one free after every fourth wave, and can buy more between waves, 800 points for the first and 400 more for each after.
A guard can be hit too. It sees stars for three seconds and cannot puff in that time.
The endless run ends when all six nests are rattled at the same time.
What falls, and what it is worth
- Acorn: steady, 20 points.
- Hail: small and quick, 30 points. It comes from the cloud.
- Pine cone: splits in three, so pop it high. 50 points, then 15 per bit.
- Bucket: swings from side to side as it falls and is worth the most, 80 points.
In the endless game, hail arrives in wave 2, pine cones in wave 3 and buckets in wave 4.
Doubling up, staying calm and the wave bonus
In a single puff, the second thing you pop counts double and the third triple. The calm multiplier works across waves: finish one with no nest rattled and every pop in the next is worth one step more, up to four times. A single rattle sends it back to one.
When a wave ends you are paid for each nest still standing, 20 plus 10 per wave number, and 5 points for every puff you did not use.
Between waves: the upgrade shop
Points double as a purse for upgrades, and spending never lowers your score. The shop offers:
- Bigger puffs, four levels, from 300 points.
- Faster refills, four levels, from 300.
- Deep breath, one extra puff per guard, three levels, from 400.
- Quick puffs, so there is less leading to do, three levels, from 250.
- Wooden decoy, a painted duck that draws some throws away from the nests, three levels, from 500.
- An extra bundle of straw.
Aiming with a finger, a mouse or a keyboard
Touch or click anywhere in the sky. On a keyboard, the arrow keys move an aiming ring, Space sends a puff, and P pauses. A game controller works too.
The daily waves, the endless run and your streak
The daily is seven waves, the same throws for everyone that day. Your first go of the day is the one that counts toward your streak and the board. A screen says so before you begin, and warns that leaving partway ends the go with the points you have. Later goes are practice.
The endless run keeps going until the nests give out, and records your best score and wave. You may be offered one chance per run to rebuild every nest and carry on.
Playing the daily on consecutive days builds a streak. Every seventh day earns a streak freeze, up to two.
Where beginners lose nests
- Aiming at the falling object instead of ahead of it. The puff arrives after the acorn has moved on.
- Emptying the nearest guard early. When it is out of puffs, a farther guard answers instead, and its puff takes longer to arrive.
- Letting a pine cone fall low. Its three bits head for different nests.
- Ignoring the guards. A dizzy guard is a guard you cannot use for three seconds.
Puffduck questions answered
Why did my puff come from a different duck?
The nearest guard that has a puff ready and is not seeing stars answers your touch. If the closest guard is empty or dizzy, the next closest one takes the shot. If no guard can puff, nothing goes out.
Do the bits of a pine cone count as separate pops?
Yes. Each of the three bits is worth 15 points on its own, and popping several in a single puff stacks the doubling and tripling bonus.
What happens to a rattled nest when I have no straw?
It stays empty. The shop's summary lists how many nests are still out, and the run ends if all six are.
More games like Puffduck
- How to play Shellduck: aiming ahead of a moving target, with wind to account for.
- How to play Hatch Day: another game where you launch something at a target and matches burst.
- How to play Quackvine: another game about protecting the duck pond.