How to play GRAVL

Plan, cut the rope, guide the ball

The goal: Deliver the tennis ball to Gravl. The cube’s rooms, openings and obstacles form a route; changing a layer changes that route.

PLAN: Inspect the puzzle and line up a route while the ball hangs from its rope. Planning is untimed.
CUT: Turn a layer so the rope is sheared between moving and stationary rooms. Simply turning your view of the whole cube does not cut it.
RACE: Once the ball is free, the race clock starts. Guide it through the rooms until the puppy catches it. You can still twist layers, but post-cut layer twists add to your ranked time.

One-finger row/column drag: Twist a layer of rooms.
Two-finger drag: Turn the entire cube in 90-degree viewing steps. This is not a layer move.
Two-finger twist: Roll the view. Gravity remains screen-down, so think about the new route before releasing the ball.
Steering: Tilt the phone gently, or select the left- or right-handed on-screen pad in Settings. RECENTER makes your comfortable holding angle the new reference.

A doorway is usable when both meeting sides are open. Green indicates the connection is open; red indicates a blocked opposite side. Routes can continue around cube edges onto another face. Planning those transitions is part of the puzzle.

Timing, stars & leaderboards

Race time begins when the rope is cut and ends when Gravl receives the ball. The time spent planning does not count toward the race.

Ranked time = race time + 1 second for each layer twist after the cut. For example, a 12.4-second race with three post-cut layer twists ranks as 15.4 seconds. Camera turns are not layer twists. Compare the correct level, daily challenge and surface leaderboard.

Stars: A race starts with three timed stars. Level-specific time thresholds can reduce them; collectible stars on the board add protected stars back, up to three total. You can still win by delivering the ball with zero stars. The level’s move/par guidance and displayed score are separate from this star system; “three stars means at or below move par” is not the current rule.

Surfaces matter: Workshop, Back Yard and Stone Keep have their own feel and separate boards. Grass is slower and grippier; stone is quicker and bouncier. An outfit is cosmetic, while a surface changes the ball’s behavior.

Leaderboards are optional and need a connection to submit. If a result is missing, record the level/date, surface, displayed race time, post-cut twists and player name. Keep the local result; a missing online entry does not by itself mean the level clear was lost. Report suspected scoring problems privately and factually.

Campaign, Pro & Expert

The current campaign has 100 levels:
• 1–30: free, 2×2 puzzles.
• 31–50: Pro, 3×3.
• 51–75: Expert, 4×4.
• 76–88: Pro, 3×3.
• 89–100: Expert, 4×4.

Pro and Expert are optional one-time purchases for their puzzle sizes. Pro covers 33 levels; Expert covers 37. Your store’s purchase sheet shows the current local price.

Progression is sequential through the levels you can play. Buying a tier unlocks access to its route, not an instant campaign completion:
• Pro only: free 1–30 → 31–50 → 76–88.
• Expert only: free 1–30 → 51–75 → 89–100.
• Both tiers: progress through 1–100 in order.

Cleared levels can be replayed. If you bought a tier and see a progress lock, finish the previous playable level in your route. If you see a purchase lock for something you own, use Restore Purchases with the original store account.

A purchase cannot substitute for a required clear, and restoring purchases is not the same as restoring saved campaign progress. The released campaign uses 2×2, 3×3 and 4×4 puzzles; larger cube sizes should not be assumed to be included.

Tools & challenge rules

Show me / HINT: The move guide helps with a route and may recalculate after the board changes. “Finding a route” can take time. An unavailable suggestion does not prove a puzzle is impossible; some challenges intentionally disable hints.

AXE: Standard puzzles provide two uses. Arm it, then target a wall beside the ball, or a beam elsewhere on the board. A successful break spends a charge; an invalid target does not. A challenge can reduce or remove the allowance.

FREEZE: A standard race provides one three-second freeze. It pauses the world and race clock so you can regain control. It is unavailable in Purist challenges.

WHISTLE: Helps Gravl catch a fast-moving ball when it is near him.

Read the level’s challenge badge and HUD before reporting a disabled control:
• TIGHT: Limited twist budget; watch the displayed allowance.
• BLIND: No move hints.
• ONE AXE: Only one axe break.
• PURIST: No hints, axe or freeze.

Tools are part of the puzzle rules. A missing tool under one of these constraints is expected, while a tool that contradicts the displayed challenge deserves a report with the level and surface.

Obstacles & how to read them

Different rooms ask you to use gravity, timing and layer movement together:

• Mud slows the ball; allow extra time to cross it.
• Beams grip or support it; tilt to roll away, or use a permitted axe break.
• Straight and corner bumpers redirect the ball.
• Snap traps hold it briefly and are spent after their first bite.
• Pressure plates and linked doors move with their rooms. Read the connection before rotating a layer.
• Spring pockets charge before launch; tilt to aim the release.
• Portals move the ball between linked positions on different faces.
• Lasers can hold the ball briefly while an emitter is aligned. Turn the emitter out of line to change the situation.
• The kitten, introduced later in the campaign, patrols and can grab the ball. A layer twist releases it, at the cost of that move; a short immunity period follows.

If you seem stuck, inspect the adjoining doorway, the cube edge and the room beneath the ball. A blocked opening or temporary trap can look like lost controls. Recenter the steering and try a small tilt before making a large change. Replaying a level is a useful way to learn how a new obstacle works.

Daily play, treats & personal style

Daily Challenge: Everyone plays that day’s puzzle. It resets at midnight UTC, which may be a different evening or morning in your time zone. It has its own leaderboard and is separate from campaign progression.

Treats: The welcome balance is 150 treats. Your first clear of a campaign level awards 50 treats once. Replaying an already-cleared level or repeatedly finishing the Daily Challenge does not farm that first-clear reward.

Use treats in the wardrobe for available items and equip the ones you own. Outfits are cosmetic: they do not make the ball faster or alter the ranked-time formula. Some selections have their own unlock requirements. Treats and wardrobe are local content, so protect them before clearing storage or changing devices.

Gravl’s Tail: Campaign milestones can lead to a bonus Snake-style game across the cube, with apples and its own scores. It is a bonus activity; the main campaign’s objective remains delivering the tennis ball to Gravl.

Player name: Tap your avatar/profile, then the name to edit the leaderboard name. Keep it friendly and avoid private contact details. If an older installed build lacks this editor, check for the latest available update.