Pond Pairs

Some evenings you want a puzzle that doesn't argue back. Pond Pairs is that kind: a pile of big, easy-to-read tiles stacked into a shape, and you take it apart two at a time by tapping matching pictures. The only catch is which tiles are loose. A tile needs nothing resting on top of it and an open side, left or right, before it will come away, so the real thinking is in choosing the pair that frees up the most underneath.

The faces are things from around a duck pond: blue and speckled eggs, a drake's curled feather, lily pads, cattails, a frog, a snail, and a few of our own birds, Tiny and Rusty among them, drawn as cartoons. Roady, Tiny and Rusty keep you company on the bank behind the pile, and Tiny nods at each pair you make and cheers when the last one goes. A solver tries every pile before it reaches you, so none of them is a dead end, and Undo is yours as often as you like. There's a level path that keeps climbing, with a smaller breather every fourth level and a photo from our pond when you finish one, plus today's pond, a single daily pile that everyone shares and the only place with a clock. It's a gentle pick if you like a quiet tile game, made by a very small team on Long Island and free in your browser. If you want every rule, read how to play Pond Pairs.