Prism Lantern: Chainburst

About Prism Lantern: Chainburst

The Starwheel is a stone star-dial floating in the night above a sea of cloud. Aurora hangs over it, a wheel of stars turns slowly behind it, and its sockets hold prism lanterns: cut-glass bodies in iron cages, each with a flame of its own colour and a shape of its own, an orb, a pyramid, a cube, a rhombus, a hexagon and a star.

Swap two neighbouring lanterns to line up three or more of a colour. Each dial asks for three objectives in turn, a number of lanterns of one colour each. When one is done, every lantern of that colour still on the dial links up with lines of light into a constellation; then the whole dial turns a quarter, the constellation rises into the sky, and the lanterns fall toward a new floor.

This is a chain game: a dial is won by setting off cascades of the depth it asks for, as many times as it asks, and reaching its score. A quarter turn often lines things up on its own, so plan the last lanterns of an objective with the turn in mind. A chain three deep sends sparks up to the stars.

Twelve dials are drawn by hand, each the same shape whichever way it faces: a plain wheel, the four winds, a compass rose, an eye with a dark centre, a pinwheel and a northern crown. After them the dials come back with more lanterns to light, and tonight’s dial changes every day. Every dial can be won, and a hint is one press away; Settings offers more moves or no limit.

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

How to play

Drag a lantern toward a neighbour, or tap one lantern and then the next. Arrow keys move a cursor; Enter or Space picks a lantern.
Line up three or more lanterns of a colour to clear them. Lanterns that fall into a new line clear again: a chain.
Each dial has three objectives in order: light a number of lanterns of one colour. The panel shows the current one.
Finish an objective and its lanterns form a constellation; then the dial turns a quarter and everything falls a new way.
Win with chains of the depth the dial asks for, and its score. Press H for a hint, P or Escape 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

When does the dial turn?

Each time you finish one of its objectives. The whole dial turns a quarter clockwise and the lanterns fall toward the new floor, which can start a chain by itself. The dial does not turn after its last objective.

What are the constellations?

When an objective is done, the lanterns of its colour still on the dial link up with lines of light, then the constellation turns with the dial and rises into the sky. It is a picture of where that colour stood when you finished.

Can every dial be won?

Yes. Each dial 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.