ONE THUMB ARCADE · NUMBER PUZZLE
Find the hidden rhythm.
Riff: how to play and strategy
Find the hidden rhythm. Fill the grid and follow the rise and fall.
How to play
Tap a cell, then a number. Arrows move; keys 1–6 enter numbers. N toggles notes; Delete erases; Ctrl/Cmd + Z undoes.
Rules and progression
Use 1–6 once in every row and column, or 1–4 in the lessons. Follow each ribbon from its ring to its arrow: add a fixed amount, subtract a fixed amount, and repeat. Ribbons with the same letter and color share the same rise and fall.
Each ribbon restarts with a rise. Numbers never wrap around. Every puzzle has one solution.
Play three 4 × 4 lessons, 24 practice puzzles, or the daily puzzle, which changes at midnight Pacific time. Progress and notes save on this device.
Worked example: find a ribbon’s rhythm
Imagine a six-cell ribbon reading 1 → 4 → 2 → 5 → 3 → 6 from ring to arrow. Its steps are +3, −2, +3, −2, +3. Another ribbon with the same letter and color must also rise by 3 and fall by 2, even if its starting number differs. A shorter matching ribbon could read 2 → 5 → 3. Starting it at 4 would require 7 on the next cell, so that start is impossible on a 1–6 board.
Plan your next move
- Begin with a row or column missing only one number. Then check whether that number constrains a ribbon’s rise or fall.
- Read the ring and arrow before comparing steps. Every ribbon starts with a rise; its visual direction does not change that rule.
- Use notes for values that satisfy both the row/column rule and the ribbon. A candidate that works for only one constraint is not yet a valid move.
Why can’t the sequence wrap from 6 to 1?
Riff uses ordinary addition and subtraction, not a looping number scale. Every intermediate value must stay inside the board’s number range. That boundary is useful evidence when narrowing the possible rhythm.
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