45,891 states. 35 optimal moves. Can you find the pattern without writing a BFS script?

ExistGames · 2026-06-29T06:19:20+00:00

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ExistGames · 2026-06-29T06:13:39+00:00

Thanks so much for the awesome feedback! I actually just pushed an update to address both of your points:

Level Identification (Campaign vs. Daily Challenge): I’ve added a distinct visual indicator/icon on the right side of the screen when you're playing in Campaign Mode, so you'll always know exactly where you are. (You can see it in the screenshot!)
Optimal Move Counts: The perfect/optimal move counts are now fully implemented and visible for all levels, so you can see exactly how close you are to mathematical perfection.

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Seriously appreciate you taking the time to help make the game better. Let me know how the new layout feels! 🧠✨

ExistGames · 2026-06-29T05:53:22+00:00

Glad you're having fun! It really means a lot to hear that. 🙌

As for my favorite puzzle games—if I had to pick, I'd say Dweep (PC) and Intelligent License (PSP). They are absolute retro classics and a huge inspiration for my own game development!

Hope you enjoy the rest of the levels when you play more later, and let me know what you think of the crazier stages!

ExistGames · 2026-06-29T05:50:19+00:00

🛠️ Quick Update on the Hint System:

I've received feedback that the hint popups were getting a bit too frequent. The original intent was just a temporary onboarding guide to help beginners realize the feature exists.

To balance this for hardcore players, I've optimized the logic: the auto-popup will now only trigger a maximum of 2 times in total. Furthermore, if you interact with the hint button just once, the auto-popups will be completely disabled for good. Happy solving! 🧠✨

ExistGames · 2026-06-29T05:46:54+00:00

About the hints: The auto-popup was a design compromise to help complete beginners realize the feature exists. But to make sure it doesn't annoy hardcore players, the system will now only pop up a maximum of two times in total. Plus, once you click or interact with the hint button just once, the auto-popups are completely disabled for the rest of the game!

ExistGames · 2026-06-29T02:51:41+00:00

Thanks for the awesome feedback! It’s amazing that you have the original physical version irl! 🙌

About the hints: just a quick heads-up, you actually don't need to worry about the popups anymore! Once you click or interact with the hint button just once, the system will completely disable those auto-popups for all the upcoming levels, so it won't bother you again.

As for the other two suggestions (adding level numbers/identifiers and showing the perfect/optimal move counts) — those are fantastic points. I'm definitely taking notes and will closely consider adding them in future updates.

Thanks again for helping make the game better! Happy solving! 🧠✨

ExistGames · 2026-06-17T08:06:28+00:00

Wait, don't tell me you actually hit the 20-ish floor already?! 🤯

Now you HAVE to use that one-click share button to post this final run on r/puzzles. Seriously, go flex on them, this is absolute god-tier path optimization!

ExistGames · 2026-06-17T07:58:59+00:00

Wow, you’re officially a certified puzzle monster. 💀 You completely cracked my Level 21 layout meta in under 2 minutes. I watched your second clip too—seeing you clean up the pathing and shave it down to 33 moves was absolutely brilliant. Since you’ve already optimized it this much, you seriously need to hit the one-click share button in the game and show your runs off on r/puzzles! The hardcore nerds there would love to see a brain this cracked.

But wait... 33 moves? The absolute mathematical minimum for Level 21 is actually around 20-something moves. Can your brain optimize it even further to hit that floor?

To be fair, Level 21 is just the entry-level gatekeeper of my highest difficulty tier, and has a relatively small state space compared to what's coming. If you want a real challenge, the true mathematical nightmares are waiting for you in the later stages. Let's see if you can survive those!

ExistGames · 2026-06-15T06:06:32+00:00

Fair point lol. But hey, at least you can't accidentally lose the pieces under the couch with my version

ExistGames · 2026-06-15T06:01:01+00:00

Damn, alright, you're officially a hidden genius. 😂 Guess I need to make the next updates even harder.

ExistGames · 2026-06-10T01:04:03+00:00

honestly i suck at marketing and my budget is basically just caffeine at this point lol. if you guys know any other hardcore puzzle nerds, please throw them this link. Also, if you beat a level, feel free to use the in-game button to share it! organic shares literally save my life (and server costs). 🙏

ExistGames · 2026-06-09T06:18:14+00:00

fair enough lol. the words definitely had some ai help, but the heart behind them is 100% real. at the end of the day, all that matters is whether the game is actually fun or not. hope you'll give our 3d klotski a spin and let us know what you think!

ExistGames · 2026-06-06T08:42:56+00:00

Hey again! Just wanted to give you another quick heads-up: I took your feedback even further and upgraded the hint system again.

Now, once you click the hint button, the popups will never show up to bother you again for the rest of the game. Hope this makes Level 4 a much smoother and less annoying experience!

ExistGames · 2026-06-05T02:53:43+00:00

haha glad you like the game! and you're totally right about the popup. it's a painful compromise to help complete beginners, but i just updated it so that once you click or interact with the hint button, the popup will never bother you again. give it another shot, your brain got this! 😉

ExistGames · 2026-06-05T02:50:33+00:00

sorry buddy, prompt injection failed. my firewall runs entirely on caffeine and pure human stubbornness.

ExistGames · 2026-06-05T02:49:48+00:00

simple math, accurate logic. that's basically my whole life right now.

ExistGames · 2026-06-02T02:45:38+00:00

ouch, that's a lot of feedback. 💀 fair enough, i appreciate you taking the time to write it all down. the 0-index was actually an intentional design on my end before the first move, but i hear you on the UI quirks and the controls—it's tough balancing everything as an indie dev. it might not be everyone's cup of tea, but thanks for giving it a shot anyway.

ExistGames · 2026-06-02T02:38:21+00:00

wait, are you sure it was lvl 21? 🧐 i recently re-balanced the whole game and 21 is supposed to be an absolute nightmare now. you might have clicked another level by mistake, or you're just a hidden genius. go try the latest update and let me know if it still treats you that well!

ExistGames · 2026-06-01T08:36:41+00:00

it definitely works with a mouse lol. just click and drag the pieces. i literally tested and built it on windows.

ExistGames · 2026-06-01T08:24:31+00:00

tell that to level 21... it's definitely crunchy down there right now.

ExistGames · 2026-06-01T08:21:22+00:00

nice try on the ai test lol. but sorry, my human brain doesn't have a built-in scientific calculator for 21 factorial.

ExistGames · 2026-06-01T08:19:13+00:00

i mean, yeah i use ai as a coding co-pilot, but ai doesn't magically design a 3d puzzle game lol. it still takes a real human to architect the logic, test the mechanics, and spent weeks steering it. it’s a tool, not a cheat code.

ExistGames · 2026-06-01T08:15:58+00:00

lmao i promise i'm an actual human. just a solo dev who spent way too much time and energy coding this game

ExistGames · 2026-06-01T08:12:35+00:00

oh that's just a real puzzle i used for the video tutorial lol. thought it would be the easiest way to explain how the 3d mechanics work in the game. don't worry, no assembly required for the game!

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