Talus

Step-by-step walkthrough

Every step below follows from the rules alone, with no guessing. Try the puzzle first and use the walkthrough when you get stuck.

1. Step 1 of 13

   Several dots start with just one open side. Orange steps right from its top-row dot, Blue drops beside its partner, and Purple and Brown each move down from row 2. The top-left corner has only two usable neighbors, so Red runs up through it and along the top row to its other dot. In the top-right corner the same squeeze sends Green around the corner and down column 11, while Orange, Lime and Gray take their only exits nearby.

2. Step 2 of 13

   The top rows fill in. Orange's right end climbs to row 1 and runs left to meet its other end, and Gray runs left along row 2 and turns down at column 7. Pink and Lime each drop one cell, Green continues down column 11 to row 7, and Cyan drops from both dots, its edge end sliding down to row 9. Two corner squeezes finish the stage. Purple bends through row 3, column 1, and Brown wraps through the bottom-right corner and up to row 10.

3. Step 3 of 13

   Cyan's edge end turns left along row 9 to column 10. Brown and Peach then take turns with only one open side, Brown moving left along row 10 to column 9 and Peach stepping left to row 11, column 10. The cell at row 12, column 10 has only two usable neighbors, so Peach passes down through it and turns left to column 9.

4. Step 4 of 13

   Yellow's lower dot at row 10, column 8 has two choices. Going down would seal off a single empty cell that no color can finish, so Yellow goes left one instead.

5. Step 5 of 13

   Thinking ahead settles Green. If Green's lower end at row 7, column 11 turned left, a few forced moves later Brown would have no option that works. So Green steps down onto its partner at row 8, column 11 and is done.

6. Step 6 of 13

   Cyan's end at row 9, column 10 faces the same problem. Going left leaves Brown with nothing that works a few moves later, so Cyan goes up one to row 8.

7. Step 7 of 13

   From row 8, column 10, a turn left would seal off a single cell. Cyan climbs again, to row 7, column 10.

8. Step 8 of 13

   Lime's lower dot at row 9, column 8 is the key cell. Going up leaves Brown with no option that works, and going left does the same to Yellow. So Lime goes right and then up to row 8, column 9. A chain of forced moves follows along the bottom. Brown drops to row 11 and runs left to column 5, Peach runs left along row 12 to column 4, and Yellow steps up to row 9, column 7.

9. Step 9 of 13

   Purple's lower dot at row 10, column 3 can go up or down. Going down would seal off a single cell, so Purple goes up to row 9, column 3.

10. Step 10 of 13

    Brown's end at row 11, column 5 can't keep going left, because that would trap the corner cell at row 12, column 1 between two different colors. Brown goes up two to row 9, column 5 instead. The middle then fills quickly. Sky climbs to row 8, Vermilion steps right, Yellow winds up column 8 and turns left on row 5, and Lime climbs column 9. Cyan's ends meet, Pink and Gray each run left two cells, and Blue's ends connect.

11. Step 11 of 13

    Lime's two ends meet in column 9. Yellow, Pink and Gray each edge left, and Gray turns down at row 3, column 4 to sit beside its partner. On the left side, Brown steps down from row 3 and runs down column 2 to row 7, while Purple runs down the left edge to row 7. Pink drops down column 5 and turns left along row 6, and its other end drops from row 5, column 3, so the two ends face each other.

12. Step 12 of 13

    Purple reaches row 8 on the left edge, and Gray, Yellow and Vermilion all connect. Sky steps left to row 8, column 5. Brown's lower end steps left and climbs column 4, then joins its upper end at row 7, column 2. Purple's end at row 9, column 3 moves up and left to join the edge path at row 8, column 1. Pink's ends connect in row 6.

13. Step 13 of 13

    Sky connects in column 5, and only the bottom-left corner is left. Peach leaves its dot at row 9, column 2, steps left to the edge and runs down to the corner, then right along row 12 to its other end. Mint drops one cell from each dot, and the two ends meet on row 11.