Kinetic Workshop: The Missing Axis

About Kinetic Workshop: The Missing Axis

Kinetic Workshop: The Missing Axis is a gravity puzzle in a laboratory high in a tree canopy. A glass terrarium with a mossy floor hangs from a bough by two ropes. Seed pods lie on the moss, and twig nests wait for them. You never push a pod: you tilt the terrarium and every pod slides that way until bark, another pod or a pool of amber sap stops it. Seat a pod in every nest.

The twist is in the title. The ropes let the terrarium swing along only one axis at a time: up and down, or left and right. The other axis is the missing one, its leaves folded shut and tied with a vine, and you have to reason about it. A vine lever in the moss swaps the axis whenever a pod rolls over it, so the plan is never just where the pods go but which pod crosses which lever, and when, to hand you the tilt you need next. A pod that falls in a knothole is lost until you undo.

Seven hand-ordered terraria go from two pods and one lever to four pods, two levers and two knotholes, each with a par the game's own solver worked out. Endless higher boughs and a daily terrarium follow. When the last nest is filled the sun comes through: light shafts sweep the leaves, birds cross, pollen rises from the nests and a marimba runs up the scale. Hints are always there, nothing is timed, and your progress stays in this browser.

How to play

Seat a seed pod in every twig nest. You tilt the terrarium; pods slide until bark, another pod or sap stops them.
Only one axis works at a time, up and down or left and right. The locked axis shows as folded leaves tied with a vine.
A vine lever swaps the axis whenever a pod rolls over it. Plan which pod crosses which lever.
A pod lost in a knothole can be brought back with Undo. Reset puts the terrarium back as it began.
Solve it in par tilts with no hint for three stars. Pods seated and a no-undo bonus add sunlight.

Controls

Arrow keys, WASD, D-pad or stick — tilt the terrarium; or swipe, or tap an open leaf
Z or Undo — undo a tilt; R or Reset — start again; H or Hint — a hint
B — hear the terrarium described again
P, Escape or Start — pause

Frequently asked questions

How do I move a pod?

You do not. You tilt the whole terrarium (arrow keys, a swipe, or a tap on an open leaf) and every pod slides that way until bark, another pod or a pool of sap stops it. Seat a pod in every nest to solve it.

Why are some of the leaves folded shut?

The terrarium hangs from ropes that let it swing along one axis at a time. The two leaves of the working axis are unfurled; the two of the locked axis are folded and tied with a vine. Pressing a locked direction does nothing.

How do I unlock the other axis?

A vine lever in the moss swaps the axis every time a pod rolls over it, whether the pod stops there or slides across. It swaps back the next time a pod crosses. Many terraria can only be solved by sending a pod over a lever at the right moment.

How are stars and par worked out?

The game's own solver finds the fewest tilts that seat every pod under the locked axis: that is par. Par tilts with no hint earn three stars, one or two more earn two, any solved terrarium one; a terrarium solved after a hint earns at most two.

Can I calm the effects down?

Yes. The drifting pollen and the terrarium's sway can be turned off, and the kit's own settings cover reduced motion, fewer flashes, large text, sound and music.

Does the game save?

Yes, in this browser: solved terraria, stars and the terrarium you were working on with your tilts replayed. Nothing is uploaded.