How to play Tinkerlode
Each cave is a puzzle on a grid. Gather enough Aether Shards to open the shaft, then reach it before time runs out. Here is everything you need to know.
The goal
The counter at the top shows how many Aether Shards you have and how many the cave needs. When you reach the quota, the shaft lights up and opens. Step into it to clear the cave. The timer starts on your first move, so you can look around first: drag to pan and pinch or scroll to zoom.
Controls
Keyboard
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Move | ← ↑ → ↓ or W A S D |
| Snap (dig or collect without moving) | Hold Space or Shift with a direction |
| Rewind | Hold Backspace or Z |
| Restart the cave | R |
| Pause | Esc |
| Full screen | F |
Every key can be changed in Settings, under Controls.
Touch
- Move with the on-screen D-pad on the left, or switch to Swipe in Settings and swipe and hold.
- Hold the Snap button on the right and choose a direction to dig or collect without moving.
- Hold the rewind button to step back. Pinch to zoom at any time.
- Left-handed? Turn on the left-handed layout in Settings to swap the sides.
Gamepad
- Move with the left stick or the D-pad.
- Hold A (the bottom face button) to snap.
- Hold the left bumper to rewind.
- Start pauses. Menus follow the D-pad.
The rules
Digging
Pinion moves one cell at a time in four directions and digs through any dirt he moves into. Walls and the cave's steel edge stop him.
Snapping
Hold snap and press a direction to dig the dirt or take the Aether Shard next to Pinion without stepping into the cell. It is the safe way to take a shard from under a stone.
Falling and rolling
Stones and Aether Shards fall one cell per tick when the cell below is empty. Resting on something rounded (a wall, another stone or a shard), they roll to the side if there is room, trying left first. A falling stone crushes Pinion. A resting stone above him is harmless, until he steps away and it starts to fall.
Pushing
Walk into a stone from the side and keep pushing. If the cell beyond it is empty, it moves after a short, steady push, the same every time. Stones cannot be pushed up or down.
Aether Shards and the shaft
Each shard counts toward the quota. Shards collected past the quota are worth more. The time left when you reach the shaft is added to your score.
Hidden ways
Some caves hide a hollow patch of dirt. Dig into it and it opens as a grate leading to a side dungeon with its own puzzle and a reward. Look for the glyphs carved into the walls: they are hints.
Three ways to play a cave
- Play
- The timer is on, and you can rewind the last ten seconds.
- Relax
- No timer and unlimited rewind. Unranked, and clearly marked.
- Ranked
- No rewind. Your best run is kept as a replay you can watch.
Creatures
The Dig Face has no creatures. In The Copper Foundry, Spark-Mites follow the left-hand wall and Aether-Moths the right-hand one. Both explode when they touch Pinion, and a stone dropped on an Aether-Moth turns it into Aether Shards.
Tips
- Look before you move: the timer waits for your first step.
- Dig from the side of a stone, not from below it.
- Snap shards out from under stones instead of walking in.
- If a slope starts to slide, step back and let it settle. Rewind is there for the rest.
- Restart is instant, and caves never change, so a plan that worked once works again.
Stuck, or found a bug? Write to support@halfskypublishing.com.