Quackoria Play
Pond Puzzle
The pond has been cut into tiles and shuffled. Slide them back into place — three by three to warm up, four by four when you want a real one.
Pond Puzzle is a sliding-tile picture puzzle — the classic one with a single empty space — rendered as a painted pond scene. Slide tiles into the gap until the picture is whole.
The version here has a scoring system that makes the choice of board size a real decision rather than a difficulty setting. Solving the three-by-three at par earns 1,450 points. Solving the four-by-four at par earns 1,600, and its par is far more generous relative to the work involved. The larger board is better value twice over: it carries a bigger size bonus and it gives you ninety moves of allowance instead of forty.
One thing worth knowing before you start: the board is always solvable. Sliding puzzles generated by shuffling tiles at random are unsolvable half the time, which is why some versions of this puzzle can be quietly impossible. This one builds its shuffle out of hundreds of legal slides instead — 360 on the small board, 640 on the large one — so whatever you are looking at can definitely be finished. If you are stuck, you are stuck on technique, not on a broken board.
How to Play
- One space on the board is empty.
- Click or tap any tile next to the empty space to slide it in.
- Keep sliding until the picture of the pond is whole again.
- Fewer moves means a better score. There is no timer.
- Switch between 3 x 3 and 4 x 4 at the top of the board.
Controls
Desktop
- Click a tileSlide it into the empty space
- RNew shuffle
- MSound on or off
Mobile
- Tap a tileSlide it into the empty space
Gameplay tips
- Solve the top row first and then leave it alone. Every tile you lock in permanently shrinks the puzzle you still have to think about.
- Work down to the last two rows, then solve the remaining rows column by column rather than row by row. The final few tiles need rotation, not straight lines.
- Par is forty moves on the small board and ninety on the large one. A methodical solve beats par comfortably; a trial-and-error solve will not.
- The four-by-four is worth more than the three-by-three twice over — a bigger size bonus and a much more generous par.
- Arrow keys move the tile in that direction, not the empty space. It is the opposite of what most people assume for the first few presses.
- The board can always be solved. If you are stuck, it is a technique problem, not an impossible shuffle.
- There is no timer. Thinking is free here in a way it is not in any other game on the site.
About the game
Two boards, two different scoring sums.
While you are still solving, the running score is simply ten points for each tile currently sitting in its correct place. On completion it switches to a different formula: a base of a thousand, plus twelve points for every move you came in under par and minus twelve for every move over, plus a size bonus. Par is forty moves on the three-by-three and ninety on the four-by-four, and the size bonus is 450 and 600 respectively. Solve the small board exactly at par and you score 1,450; the large board at par scores 1,600. The floor is 100, so a very long solve still counts for something.
There is no timer, no lives and no way to fail. The only pressure is the move counter.
The shuffle is made of legal slides rather than a random rearrangement of tiles, which guarantees every board can be solved — a real problem with some implementations of this puzzle. The final tile stays hidden until the winning move, which is the moment the picture completes.
Frequently asked questions
How is the score calculated?
While solving, ten points per tile in its correct place. On completion, a base of a thousand plus twelve points for each move under par, minus twelve for each move over, plus a size bonus of 450 on the three-by-three or 600 on the four-by-four.
What is par?
Forty moves on the three-by-three board and ninety on the four-by-four.
Which board size should I play?
The four-by-four scores higher at par and has a more generous move allowance, so it is the better value board once you are comfortable with the technique.
Is every puzzle actually solvable?
Yes. The shuffle is built from hundreds of legal slides rather than a random rearrangement, which guarantees a solution exists. Many sliding puzzles elsewhere do not do this.
Which way do the arrow keys move things?
They move the tile in that direction, not the empty space. Pressing Up slides the tile below the gap upwards.
Is there a timer?
No. There is no timer, no lives and no way to lose. Only your move count affects the score.
Why is one square blank until the end?
The last tile stays hidden while you work and is revealed on the winning move, which is what completes the picture.
