Black Hole Square is a minimalist logic puzzle where each 6x6 board holds a few pale tiles and one or more black holes. You can play Black Hole Square unblocked in your browser and work through 18 boards, each with a strict limit on how many taps you get. It was made by Quinten for the js13k 2021 game jam, so the whole game is tiny and explains almost nothing. Figuring out the rules yourself is half the fun.
Getting Started
The opening screens are just a title and a short welcome. Swipe left, or drag left with a mouse, to reach the first board. The puzzle’s name sits at the upper left, with your remaining moves across from it.
From then on you only need two gestures. Tap tiles to act on them, and swipe sideways to move between screens. Swiping right resets the current puzzle, or goes back a screen if you have not moved yet. Swiping left skips ahead, so you are never stuck on one board.
Meet the Tiles
Learning the pieces is the real tutorial:
- Arrow tiles are the only way to move things. Tapping one shoves it, plus every tile lined up ahead of it, one cell in the arrow’s direction. A square pushed into a black hole falls in and is gone. If the row hits the edge, nothing happens.
- Plain tiles ignore taps. They only travel when an arrow shoves them.
- X tiles disappear when you tap them.
- Neutron stars have a gray square in the middle. Tap one and it collapses into a brand new black hole.
A board counts as solved once only black holes are left. Running out of taps shows “Out of moves!”, and stranding plain squares shows “Not clean…”. Either way, that puzzle starts over.
How to Play Black Hole Square, Board by Board
The puzzles come in a fixed order, and each one has a one-word name. Here is the full list with the tap limit for each:
- Click (4), Wait (5), Push (6), Move (5) and Tango (6) use only arrows, plain squares and black holes, so you learn how a push carries a whole line.
- Substitute (6), Wander (15), Double (5) and Conflict (10) add more squares and longer trips, and Wander has four holes to choose from.
- Extract (5), Grab (9), Twin (11) and Snare (9) bring in X tiles, which you can tap away or push into a hole.
- Sink (6) is the first board with a neutron star, and it starts with no black hole at all, so you have to make one.
- Support (8), Snatch (12), Swivel (14) and Turmoil (20) mix everything. Turmoil, the final board, has two neutron stars and no holes at the start.
The first board gives you exactly four taps and needs all four, which sets the tone. Spare moves are rare, so a solution that works with one tap left over is already a good one.
Your First Minute
On Click, the board holds just two arrows and two black holes, with no plain squares. Each arrow points toward a hole two cells away, so it has to push itself in. Tap each arrow twice and the board is clean, using all four taps. That tiny lesson matters later: arrows are pieces that must leave the board too.
Black Hole Square Tips
The move limits are tight, so a few habits help a lot:
- Count first. Look at how many tiles must leave and how many moves you have before touching anything.
- Line things up. One arrow push moves a whole row, so stacking tiles in front of an arrow can clear several at once.
- Never strand a plain tile. If no arrow can ever reach it, the puzzle is already lost.
- Place new holes on purpose. Collapse a neutron star where an existing row is about to travel.
- Let X tiles ride along. When a row with an X in it is already being shoved, let it fall into the hole instead of spending a tap on it.
- Remember arrows fall too. An arrow that pushes itself into a hole is gone, so use it for every job it can do first.
Mistakes New Players Make
Most failed tries come from tapping before planning. Since a wasted push still costs a move, it pays to trace the whole sequence in your head first. Another mistake is collapsing a neutron star right away. Its position matters, and once it turns into a hole, you lose a tile you could have pushed into place.
Playing on a Phone or Chromebook
The board is tall and narrow, so it fits a phone held upright, and you only ever tap or swipe. On a laptop or Chromebook, click tiles with the touchpad, then click and drag sideways, or scroll left and right with two fingers, to change screens. The row of small squares below the board lets you jump straight to any puzzle, including ones you have not solved yet. Sound effects play when tiles move, so turn your volume down in class.
Why It Fits a Study Break
There is no timer and no pressure beyond the move count, so you can stop and think as long as you like. Early boards take a minute, and later ones can take much longer, which lets you pick a quick win or a longer challenge. Browse more puzzle games, or try these:
- Light Flip is another grid puzzle, but each tap toggles a cross of lights instead of pushing tiles.
- Tower of Hanoi is also about finding the shortest sequence of moves, using stacked disks.
- Gomoku swaps the fixed puzzles for a live opponent on a big grid.
