How to play Cantlewing

A visual guide · Make your first safe crossing with illustrated moves, wind and scoring.

Your goal

Balance the beam. Reach the next tree.

Help the little courier reach +2. Move two seed weights to keep total force between −2 and +2, including both edges.

These simplified diagrams show the real first crossing with enlarged symbols. They are separate from your live beam. This is a turn-based puzzle: no clock runs while you think.

Read the courier and two seed weights

The courier starts at −2 and weighs 2. Teardrop A weighs 1 and has one dot; round B weighs 2 and has two dots. Numbers are coordinates measured from the centre. Seeds use the lower sockets; the courier uses separate footholds above them.

01Start and take one careful step

Walk Right: the first move

Choose Start Crossing, then Walk Right. The courier reaches −1. Force becomes +1, so the beam stays stable. Every accepted walk or seed move uses one move.

Touch or mouse: use Walk Left and Walk Right. Tap a seed to select it, then tap a different empty socket. Seeds cannot share a socket; the courier can stand above a seed.
Keyboard: focus the game. A or B selects a seed, arrows choose its socket, and Enter moves it. With no seed selected, arrows walk the courier. Escape cancels selection.
Tab visits the labelled buttons. Enter and Space activate them. Selecting a seed and inspecting destinations are free.

02Shift A, then bring B toward the centre

Move 2: A goes from −1 to −2

Select A and choose the empty −2 socket. Force changes from +1 to 0. Then Walk Right once to reach 0; force becomes +2, which is still safe.

Move 4: B goes from +2 to 0

After the courier reaches 0, select B and choose the empty 0 socket. Force becomes −2. A stays at −2. Two more Walk Right moves will now reach the tree safely.

Force = 2 × courier coordinate + A coordinate + 2 × B coordinate + wind. Read the wind at the courier’s foothold. A walk uses its destination’s wind; moving a seed uses the current foothold’s wind. Later crossings have signed wind values.

03Preview a risky move before committing

A proposed move to +1 would be refused

This is a proposed alternative after move 1, not part of the solution. Moving A to +1 would make force +3. The game refuses it for free, preserving your moves, leaves and selected seed. Choose another empty socket or cancel the selection.

Read the resulting force and Safe destination label as well as the colour. A filled socket, an unchanged socket or a position off the beam cannot be a seed destination.
Moves left is your accepted-action budget. Par is the fewest moves for that crossing. Trying an unsafe action costs nothing.
You start with 3 reserve leaves. Running out of moves uses one; Retry Crossing restores the same puzzle for free. Reset Crossing also uses one leaf and asks for confirmation.
The third used leaf finishes the run. Earned points stay with you. A clear on the final available move still counts.

04Clear, continue and Bank when ready

Six moves earn 190 points

Finish with two Walk Right moves. The courier reaches +2 with force +2. This 6-move clear matches par and leaves 4 moves: 100 for clearing + 40 for unused moves + 50 for par = 190.

Choose Next Crossing after each clear. Eight puzzles repeat in a continuing circuit. Matching par on all eight first crossings earns 1460; two full circuits earn 2900. The first two crossings allow par +4 moves; later crossings allow par +3.
Stop and Bank finishes with your earned total after confirmation, including a zero-point run. It adds no unfinished-crossing points. Play Again starts fresh; Menu returns to the games.
How to Play keeps the original instructions. Crossing List shows the circuit; Actions holds Reset and other controls. Opening this guide preserves the run and selection.
The field needs at least 248 × 176 pixels. The complete stage needs 264 × 346 in a stacked layout or 464 × 232 in a wide layout. Platform controls, safe areas and phone browser bars need additional room.
If A little more room, please appears, enlarge the window or rotate your phone. Play waits safely until enough space returns. Full screen provides a reachable exit; unsupported browsers offer Expand game, where browser bars may remain.
Scroll outside the stage to reach the platform instructions and rankings below it.

Play Cantlewing