🎯 Goal

Navigate your snake around a giant map, eating letters to build words. Submit valid words for Scrabble-style points. Survive as long as possible.

🚂 PC Controls

• ↑↓←→ Arrow keys  or  WASD — steer
• Space / Enter — Submit current word
• Backspace — Clear all letters (spawns a Guard nearby!)
• U — U-Turn — instantly reverse direction

📱 Mobile / Touch

• Swipe to steer · tap SUBMIT or ⌫ DEL buttons

💀 How You Die

⌫ Clear Letters (Backspace)

• Clears your entire letter chain — unlimited uses
• Each use spawns a Guard right next to you — use only when desperate!

👹 Guards

• 5 Guards deploy every time you submit a word — they chase and explode
• Guards chase you for 8–15 seconds, then detonate with a blast radius of 8 cells
• On ⚔️ DANGER ZONE, permanent room Guards patrol and return to their posts if you escape
• Speed and Guard count keep escalating — there is no ceiling

⭐ Bonus Zones

• Every map has a sealed bonus zone (shown as a hazard area)
• A portal ⭐ spawns somewhere on the map — find and collect it to unlock your bonus zone permanently
• The bonus zone gives 3× points for 30 seconds, then reverts to normal scoring — but the zone stays open forever
• The zone floods with extra letters when unlocked

📝 Scrabble Scoring

• 1pt: A E I O U L N S T R  ·  2pt: D G  ·  3pt: B C M P
• 4pt: F H V W Y  ·  5pt: K  ·  8pt: J X  ·  10pt: Q Z
• Length multiplier: 3=×1 · 4=×1.2 · 5=×1.6 · 6=×2.2 · 7=×3 · 8+=×4

⏱ Speed & Difficulty

Speed increases every 30 seconds AND every 400 points scored — 11 tiers from RAPID to INSANE. No ceiling.

🗺 Mini-Map (top-left)

• Shows the entire board at a glance
• Letter dots: ■ Cyan = fresh · ■ Yellow = aging · ■ Red-orange = expiring soon
• ■ Orange dots = Guards · ★ = portal · White box = your current view

🗺 The Maps

💡 Tips

• Score points fast to trigger speed tiers before the timer does — stay ahead of the curve
• Find the portal early — bonus zones give a massive scoring window
• The word hint turns green ✓ when your letters form a valid word — submit immediately!
• U-Turn (U) is great for dodging Guards without losing ground
• A short valid word beats a failed long attempt every time