How to play › BOARD & CARDS
VINES & SLIDES
Every spring the critters of Hollowmere race up the Great Garden Board. Vines & Slides is a race to square 100 for up to four players: you, friends on the same pad, or three computer critters with minds of their own.
PLAY NOW ▶The goal
Reach or pass square 100 first. Landing exactly on 100 counts as a perfect landing and earns a bonus.
How a race plays
On your turn, press to roll the die and press again to stop it tumbling. Sometimes a star on the die is lit: stop it on the star and you may move one extra square. The board then shows where each choice will land before you confirm. Vines carry you up, slides drop you down, and power squares do the rest: a gift deals you a card, a star rolls again, a spring hops you three squares and a nap costs a turn.
You can hold up to three cards and play one each turn: REROLL throws the die again, BOOST +2 moves two more than you rolled, SHIELD blocks one slide this turn, SWAP trades places with another player and SHIFT moves a slide ten squares. If you fall far behind the leader, a tailwind adds a little to your roll.
Controls
| Keyboard | Pad | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Z / Space | A | Roll the die, then press again to stop it |
| Arrows | Stick / d-pad | Pick a move or a card |
| Z | A | Confirm |
| X | B | Back |
| C | C | Board key |
On a phone or tablet, use the see-through joystick to pick and the A button to roll and confirm. Friends playing on the same device take turns with the same controls.
Gamepad: the stick or d-pad moves and the buttons follow the Pad column (Start is START). Esc, P or Back pauses, and the HOW TO PLAY button over the game shows the basics any time.
Modes
- NEW RACE: choose a board and fill seats 2 to 4 with friends, or with PIP the careful mouse (loves shields), ROXY the bold fox (boosts and swaps) or BRAMBLE the sly hedgehog (shifts slides). Seats can also be left empty.
- SPRINT: 10 ROUNDS: a short race; after round 10 the highest square wins.
- DAILY CLIMB: the daily, below.
There are four boards: SUNNY MEADOW, CORAL REEF, CLOUD TOPS and EMBER PEAK. Winning a race on one board opens the next.
Mastery stars
Each star pays tickets the first time you earn it.
- Bronze: First to the Top: win a race.
- Silver: King of Ember Peak: win a race on Ember Peak.
- Gold: Champion of Hollowmere: beat all three critters at once on HARD.
Daily challenge
Yes. The DAILY CLIMB is a solo climb on a board layout generated from the date, the same for everyone. The fewer turns you take to reach the top, the better, and there is no tailwind.
Beginner tips
- Save SHIELD for the rows with long slides near the top. A slide in the nineties costs far more than one near the start.
- Look at the preview before you confirm. The board shows exactly where each move or card will land, so check for slides first.
- SWAP is strongest when someone is well ahead of you. Played late in the race it can jump you most of the way to the finish.
- Watch for the lit star while the die tumbles. One extra square is often the difference between a slide and a vine.
- Press C for the board key whenever you are unsure what a square does.