Moonlit Observatory: Last Draw

About Moonlit Observatory: Last Draw

Moonlit Observatory: Last Draw is a solo card puzzle set in a seaside fortune shop, with a striped awning, a crystal ball and the sound of the tide under the boards. Twenty-one cards are stacked in a pyramid of six rows on the counter. A card can be played when nothing lies on it, which means the bottom row first and then every card whose two supports are gone.

Play an open card onto the tide mat when it is one rank above or below the card on top of it, and the Ace and the King meet, so the tide runs all the way round. One hook beside the counter holds a card aside while you reach the one beneath. The basket holds sixteen more cards, drawn one at a time, and it is the last draw: every card still in it when the pyramid is gone is worth 40 points.

Every suit is worth one to four steps a card, and clearing a row turns the tide, so the values reverse and the cheapest suit becomes the dearest. A new rule each night changes something on the counter, named above the table: a wild suit, a longer basket, a second hook, rows worth double. Every deal is checked by a solving player before you see it, so it can always be cleared, and the par shows what a sharp player can reach. Your best scores and badges stay in this browser and nothing is uploaded.

How to play

Tap an open card one rank above or below the card on the tide mat to play it. The Ace and the King count as neighbours.
A card in the pyramid is open when the two cards below it are gone. The bottom row is open from the start.
Park one card on the hook to reach the one beneath: drag it there, or tap it and then the hook.
Draw from the basket when no play is left. Each card left in it at the end is worth 40 points.
Clear a whole row and the tide turns: the values of the four suits reverse.
Clear the pyramid to win. Press H or the Hint button for a good move, and U or the Undo button to take a move back.

Controls

Tap a card, or drag it to the tide mat — play it
Drag a card to the hook, or tap it and then the hook; R — park
Tap the basket or press E — draw a card
Arrow keys or WASD, then Space or Enter; D-pad or stick, then Ⓐ — play
Undo button, U or Ⓨ — undo; Hint button, H or LB — a hint
P, Escape or Start — pause

Frequently asked questions

When is a card open?

When no card lies on it. The bottom row of the pyramid is open from the start; every other card opens when the two cards below it are gone.

What does the tide turning mean?

Each suit is worth one to four steps a card. When you clear a whole row the values reverse, so the suit that was worth least is now worth most.

Why keep cards in the basket?

Each card still in the basket when you clear the pyramid is worth 40 points, the biggest bonus on the table. Draw only when you must.

Can every deal be cleared?

With "Winnable deals only" (the default, and always for today's challenge) a solving player has cleared the deal before you see it. Choose "Any shuffle" in the settings for the luck of the draw.

Does it save my game?

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