Arcade Whale
Arcade Whale OriginalMade in-house, free to play
Melt
- Developer
- Arcade Whale
- Genre
- Puzzle
- Released
- Updated
- Platforms
- Browser (desktop, mobile, tablet)
- Orientation
- Landscape
- Players
- Single player
How to play
Desktop ↑/↓/←/→ aim · Enter melt · U undo
Touch Touch a chunk
About Melt
Melt is a physics puzzle about order. You tap solid chunks to melt them, the liquid runs downhill into moulds, and the moulds have to be filled with the right thing. Simple enough — except that liquid which does not reach a mould freezes where it lands and becomes an obstacle.
That freezing rule is the entire puzzle. Every tap changes the board: a chunk melted too early sends liquid down a path that is not ready for it, and the frozen residue blocks the channel a later chunk needed. Most levels are about the sequence, and some ask you to let a chunk freeze on purpose so the next drop can slide off it.
The flow rule is worth internalising. Liquid falls straight down, and only moves diagonally when something blocks it. That makes the paths predictable if you look before you tap: trace the drop from a chunk, see what it hits, and check whether the mould below is the one that wants it.
Working backwards helps on harder levels. Look at the mould that is hardest to reach, work out which chunk can serve it and what must be clear for that to happen, and build the order from there. Melting from the top down by instinct is how most attempts create their own blockages.
Reset and Hint are both available, and resetting is not a failure — a level that has frozen shut is usually faster to restart than to work around. Tap or click a chunk to melt it. Runs in the browser on desktop and mobile with nothing to install.
Tap, click or press Enter to melt a solid chunk — hold first to preview where the liquid goes. It flows straight down, then diagonally if blocked; liquid that reaches no mold freezes into a ramp. Arrow keys or WASD aim, U undoes, R resets, H hints.
The levels do not run out. The first two are short lessons with one chunk and one mould, and from level 3 the boards grow from 5 by 5 to 7 by 7 while the colours rise from two to four. After the hand-made climb new boards keep coming: each is one of the hard four-colour boards, recoloured, sometimes mirrored, with one extra wall, and never the same board twice in a row. Each level shows a par, the fewest melts that solve it. Matching par earns three stars, finishing up to two melts over earns two, and anything more earns one. Each level opens when you clear the one before it, and the game reopens on the furthest level you reached.
Frozen liquid is not always bad news. A blob that freezes on a ledge becomes a ramp, and the next drop that lands on it slides off to the side, sometimes into a mould it could never have reached before. Several levels expect you to melt a chunk on purpose just to build that ramp or clear a path, and the hint will tell you when the next move is one of those sacrifices.
Frequently asked questions
How does the liquid move?
It falls straight down, and only travels diagonally when something is blocking its path directly below. That makes the route predictable, so you can trace where a chunk will end up before you melt it.
What happens to liquid that misses a mould?
It freezes solid where it lands and becomes an obstacle for everything you melt afterwards. Stray drips are the main reason levels become unsolvable, which is why order matters so much.
Why does the order matter?
Because melting the wrong chunk first sends liquid into a place that is not ready for it, and the frozen result blocks a channel a later chunk needed. Working out the sequence is the puzzle, and sometimes the right move is to let a chunk freeze on purpose to build a ramp.
What should I do when a level is blocked?
Use Reset and start the sequence again. A board that has frozen shut is usually quicker to restart than to work around, and Hint is there if the intended order is not obvious.
Does Melt run out of levels?
No. Two short tutorials teach the flow rules, then the boards get bigger and add more colours, up to 7 by 7 grids with four colours to sort. After that, new boards keep coming: hard four-colour boards recoloured, sometimes mirrored, with one extra wall, never the same one twice in a row. Each level unlocks when you finish the one before it, and the game reopens on the furthest level you reached.
How do stars work in Melt?
Every level has a par, which is the smallest number of melts that solves it. Finish in par for three stars, within two melts of par for two, and with more for one. Undo also takes the melt off your count, so stepping back does not cost you stars.
Is there an undo in Melt?
Yes. Undo steps back one melt and puts the board back exactly as it was. You get two free undos and one free hint on every level. Reset restarts the level for free.
How can I see where the liquid will go before I melt?
Press and hold a chunk instead of tapping it. A preview traces the path the liquid will take and shows whether it lands in a mould or freezes. Let go to melt it, or slide off the chunk to cancel. On a keyboard, hold Enter or Space on the selected chunk.
How do I know a level can no longer be solved?
After every melt the game checks whether any order of the remaining chunks can still fill every mould. If none can, a message says a frozen blob has sealed the path and points you to Undo, and the Hint button stops offering moves. From there, Undo or Reset is the way forward.
What kind of game is Melt?
Melt is a free melting puzzle game you play in the browser. You melt solid chunks in the right order so the liquid fills matching moulds, and anything that misses freezes and blocks the way. There is no download and no sign-up, and it works on a phone or a computer.
