Arcade Whale
Arcade Whale OriginalMade in-house, free to play
ArrowSort 3D
- Developer
- Arcade Whale
- Genre
- Sort & Merge
- Released
- Updated
- Platforms
- Browser (desktop, mobile, tablet)
- Orientation
- Landscape
- Players
- Single player
How to play
Desktop U undo · R restart
Touch Drag the scene
About ArrowSort 3D
ArrowSort 3D is a sorting puzzle wrapped around a rotating tower of blocks. Blocks marked with arrows can be grabbed and sent to matching crates, and orders ship once a crate is complete — but only some blocks are reachable at any moment, and the tower has faces you cannot see.
Rotation is therefore not a camera convenience but a core mechanic. The block that unblocks your position is regularly around the back, and players who work only with what is currently facing them run out of moves long before the tower does.
The buffer is the pressure, as in most games of this shape. Grabbed blocks occupy slots while they wait for a crate, and a buffer full of singles from five different orders is a dead position. The discipline is to finish crates rather than start them: commit to an order, ship it, get the space back.
Extra slots can be opened when a board tightens up, and it is worth doing before you are desperate rather than after. A slot opened early gives you room to manoeuvre; a slot opened as the last resort usually just delays the same jam by one move.
Drag to rotate the tower, then click or tap a glowing block to grab it, and press the + button to open a slot. It runs in the browser on desktop and mobile with nothing to install. SortStack is the same idea in two dimensions if the rotating tower is more than you want to manage.
The levels never run out. The first object is a small stack of twelve blocks; later ones are 4 by 4 by 4 cubes with as many as 63. Each block can only leave in the direction of its arrow, and only when nothing blocks the way to the edge, which is why some blocks glow and others do not. Space also tightens as you go: early levels keep three crates open with five buffer slots, while the later ones give you two crates and three slots. After the hand-built objects, each new level deals one of the hardest ones again, mirrored and recoloured, never the same object twice in a row, and hides one more block colour every round until four extra are hidden.
Two special blocks appear along the way. A dark block marked with a question mark hides its colour until its path is clear. An ice block shows a number instead of an arrow and stays frozen until that many more blocks have gone into crates. Each level gives you two free undos, and Restart is always free.
Frequently asked questions
How do I rotate the tower?
Drag to rotate it, on desktop or on touch. Rotating is essential rather than optional, because blocks you need are frequently on a face that is currently turned away from you.
Which blocks can I grab?
Only blocks that are currently reachable will glow. Click or tap a glowing block to send it toward a matching crate.
What happens if the buffer fills up?
A Buffer full card appears. You can retry the level. The way to avoid it is to finish crates rather than start several at once — completing an order ships it and returns the slots, while holding singles from many orders leaves you with nowhere to put anything.
When should I open an extra slot?
Earlier than feels necessary. A slot opened while you still have options gives you room to manoeuvre, whereas one opened as a last resort tends to postpone the same jam by a single move.
Does ArrowSort 3D run out of levels?
No. Clearing a level takes you straight to the next one, and the game reopens on the furthest level you reached. Objects grow from a twelve block stack to full 4 by 4 by 4 cubes, the later levels give you fewer open crates and buffer slots, and after the hand-built objects the hardest ones come back mirrored and recoloured with more of their colours hidden.
Why won't a block move when I tap it?
A block can only slide out in the direction of its arrow, and only if no other block sits anywhere along that path. Tapping a blocked one just makes it bump and costs nothing. Rotate the object to see what is in the way, or check whether it is an ice block that still has to thaw.
What are the ice and question mark blocks?
A question mark block hides its colour until its path to the edge is clear, so you learn what it is only when it can leave. An ice block shows a number and stays frozen until that many more blocks have gone into crates, then it gets its arrow back.
Can I zoom in on the object?
Yes. Use the mouse wheel on desktop or pinch with two fingers on a touchscreen. Double click or double tap the scene to put the view back to its starting angle and zoom.
