Amber Orchard: Chainburst

About Amber Orchard: Chainburst

The Windmill Isles float in a long sunset, islands of wheat and old orchards tied together by rope bridges, with a windmill turning on the nearest. On a threshing floor of weathered planks lie drops of orchard amber, and inside each one a fossil caught long ago: a leaf, a beetle, a feather, a winged seed, a fern frond and a dragonfly. Every drop also has its own outline, so colour is never the only clue.

Line up three of a kind to clear them. Four in a line forges a wind arrow; five, or an L or a T, forges a sunburst. A forged drop fires when it is cleared or swapped, and how far it reaches depends on where it sits: an arrow blows the long way across the field, and a sunburst on the rim is wider than one in the middle. Swap two forged drops together and their winds join.

When a power fires, a gust of golden leaves runs along its reach, the windmill’s sails catch it, and the fossils in the amber it broke wake as dragonflies of light. They fly to the mill and circle it for the rest of the field, and the more there are, the faster the sails turn. Each field is won with chains: cascades of the depth it asks for, as many times as it asks, and a score to match.

Twelve fields are drawn by hand around their rims, from the open mill yard to two fields split by a path, a threshing ring, apple rows, rope bridges and the high mill. Later fields come back asking for more, and today’s field changes every day. Every field can be won, and a hint is one press away; Settings offers more moves or no limit at all.

Your stars, bests and badges stay in this browser, and nothing is uploaded.

How to play

Drag a drop toward a neighbour, or tap one drop and then the next. Arrow keys move a cursor; Enter or Space picks a drop.
Line up three or more of a kind to clear them. Four forge a wind arrow; five, or an L or T, forge a sunburst.
A forged drop fires when it clears or when you swap it. Its reach is longer toward the far side and wider on the rim.
Swap two forged drops together to join their powers. Win each field with its chain target and its score.
Press H or the Hint button for a move that works. Press P, Escape or Start to pause.

Controls

Drag a tile, or tap two tiles — swap
Arrow keys or WASD, then Enter or Space — swap
H or Ⓨ — hint
P, Escape or Start — pause

Frequently asked questions

Why does a power reach farther from some places?

That is the rule of the isles. A wind arrow blows the long way across the field and only one step the short way, and a sunburst is wider on the rim than in the middle. Forge powers where they will reach the most.

What are the dragonflies?

The fossils in the amber a power breaks. They wake as dragonflies of light, fly to the windmill and circle it until the field is done, and the sails turn faster for each one. Settings can turn the leaf gusts off.

Can every field be won?

Yes. Each field is solved by a computer player before you see it, so a way to win always exists. Use the Hint button, or choose more moves in Settings.

Does it save my progress?

Your stars, best scores and badges are saved in this browser only, and nothing is uploaded.