Levels 1-5 are free. Levels 6-30 need a $3 licence key. About the full pack
Driftquartz has three things on the board besides walls: the amber piece you move, one or more blue gems, and an exit drawn as a ring. The goal of every level is the same: collect every gem, then bring the piece to the exit, in as few moves as you can.
Level 1 with the shortest solution marked: the dashed line is the route and each number shows where that slide ends.
The sliding rule
A move is a slide up, down, left or right. The piece does not stop until the next cell is a wall or the edge of the board. Gems on the path are collected. Until you hold every gem the exit is shut and acts as plain floor; after that it catches the piece and the level is solved.
Controls and undo
Arrow keys or W A S D slide the piece; Z or U undoes a move and R restarts the level. On a phone, swipe on the board or use the buttons under it. Undo goes back one move at a time, as far as the start of the level.
Par and your best
Each level shows its par: the smallest number of moves that solves it. A move that is blocked, because the piece is already against a wall or the edge, does not move the piece and is not counted. When you solve a level the game tells you how many moves you used, and it keeps your best count for each level in this browser.
Level 1, move by move
Level 1 is a 5 by 5 board with three walls and one gem. Counting rows from the top and columns from the left, the piece starts in row 5, column 1; the gem is in row 2, column 5; the exit is in row 4, column 5.
- Slide right: the piece moves four cells and stops at the edge of the board.
- Slide up: the piece moves three cells, picks up the gem and stops against a wall. On the way it slides straight over the exit, which was still shut. The exit is now open.
- Slide down: the piece moves two cells and is caught by the open exit.
That is three moves, the par for level 1: the computer search found no shorter solution.
What is free and what costs $3
Levels 1-5 are free: no account, no key, no time limit. Levels 6-30 are the full pack and need a $3 licence key, sold on Gumroad. You enter the key on the unlock page and the 25 extra levels are stored in this browser.
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