OFF THE CLOCK
That's the extra thought in Off The Clock's linked-arrow mode. Select a piece to preview what will happen, then press Leave when you're ready. The goal is still to clear every arrow. There are 45 campaign boards, Undo, and no timer, so you can stop and work through a move before making it.
What the letters on a tile mean
First, check the exit itself. A wall or another arrow in the path means this piece can't leave yet. Then read the letters on its tile: those are the arrows that will turn when you release it.
Only the listed arrows still on the board turn. They stay in place. Turning one doesn't automatically send it away, and it doesn't trigger a chain of departures. Walls stay put for the whole puzzle.
If you're coming from Flat or Cube, it's easy to carry over the habit of clearing whatever is free. Shift gives you a reason to pause. The space you open is useful, but so are the directions you leave behind.
Your first move, without the guesswork
- Select an arrow. Its letter lets you match the piece to the move preview.
- Read the route. Check whether an arrow or a wall blocks its exit.
- Read the links. Picture each listed arrow after one clockwise turn: up becomes right, right becomes down, down becomes left, left becomes up.
- Check the aftermath. Will a linked arrow face an open edge, another piece, or a wall?
- Press Leave when you're ready. Selecting a tile is only a preview.
A real example: the first 5×5 Shift board
On the starting board of 5×5 · Shift 1, select A near the top. Its rightward exit is clear, and its links list F and E. If A leaves, F turns from left to up, while E turns from right to down. Both pieces stay on their squares.
Here's the catch: A can leave, but taking it first leaves this board without a complete solution. You may still have moves available, which makes the mistake harder to spot right away. If you tried A, use Undo and take another look. You haven't lost the attempt.
Show one complete solution for Shift 1
From the untouched starting board, release B → C → D → E → F → A. Select each arrow, inspect the changed directions, then press Leave. This order is for the first 5×5 campaign board only. If you have already made moves, use Restart before following it.
Before the next move, spend a moment with the arrows that are about to turn. Where will they point? If one will face a wall, is there another piece left that could turn it again? Those small questions become more useful as the boards get crowded.
Stuck? Undo is part of the game
If you've cleared half the board and the remaining arrows point nowhere useful, back up. Undo restores the previous board, including the directions changed by that move. Try a different departure order. There is no timer pushing you to make the same choice faster.
Each attempt has three hints. They progress from an observation, to an explanation of a link, to a suggested move, using your current board. Refreshing or undoing doesn't refill them. Restart begins a fresh attempt with three hints.
What if the board has no solution and I've used all three hints?
Open Hint anyway. If your moves have left the board unsolvable, Shift offers free recovery, including when the hint counter is at zero. It shows the fewest undo steps needed to return to a position you can finish. Confirm the recovery to take those steps back, then choose another route. It does not clear the board for you.
Recovery does not spend a hint or refill the three-hint allowance. A blocked arrow by itself does not mean the whole board is unsolvable; you may just need to clear a different piece first. The guide to blocked and unsolvable puzzles explains that distinction with this same starting board.
The little office companion also has a separate Say hi interaction. Saying hello costs no hint. Sometimes a tiny coworker with no follow-up questions is exactly the right amount of company.
What happens after the first board?
The boards grow from 5×5 to 10×10 across 45 campaign puzzles. Finish a board to earn its trophy, then choose Next puzzle if you've got time for another. You can replay a completed board too; you'll keep the same trophy rather than earn a duplicate.
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If you'd like to get comfortable with the basic exit rule first, try Flat. Otherwise, open Shift and inspect that first board. A can wait.