Symbol sequence
Symbol sequence is a memory puzzle. A row of symbol buttons sits on the board; they light up one after another, and you must tap them back in the same order. Get the whole sequence right and the code appears above the buttons.
How to play
- When the puzzle starts, the sequence plays once automatically (if a mechanism card is shown first, it plays after you close the card).
- Tap the buttons in the order you saw. The dots under the buttons turn gold one by one to show how far you are.
- A wrong tap resets your progress to the start, with no other penalty.
- Press ▶ Watch to replay the sequence at any time, as often as you like.
Each symbol differs in both shape and colour (red circle, yellow triangle, blue square, green diamond, purple star and orange cross), so players with colour-vision differences can always tell them apart by shape.
How it gets harder
| What changes | Early game | Late game |
|---|---|---|
| Different symbols | 4 | 6 |
| Sequence length | 3–4 | up to 8 |
| Time per symbol | about 0.9 s | about 0.45 s |
A sequence never repeats a symbol back-to-back and never simply walks the buttons in order like 1-2-3-4; every puzzle is checked for this.
Techniques
Chunk it into groups of 3–4. Small groups are far easier to hold than one long chain. Treat an 8-symbol sequence as two groups of four.
Name the symbols. Say short names in your head: “circle-triangle-star-square”. Hearing the sequence internally helps more than remembering pictures alone.
Or remember positions. Some people find directions easier, such as “left-middle-right-left”. Try both and see which suits you.
Replay without guilt. The ▶ button has no penalty and does not affect your stars. Watching two or three times beats guessing and starting over.
Keep a steady rhythm. Tapping too fast makes your finger slip onto the neighbouring button, especially on phones with six buttons in a row.
Common mistakes
- Tapping while the sequence is still playing. Taps are ignored during playback; wait until it ends.
- Mixing up near-repeats, for example a sequence that returns to the same symbol two steps later. Pay special attention to where the sequence “turns back”.
What the magnifier does
The magnifier replays the sequence more slowly and shows the step number (1, 2, 3 …) above each button as it lights up, which makes it much easier to memorise.