How to play Shadow Theater
Every classic tangram has seven pieces: two large triangles, one medium triangle, two small triangles, one square and one parallelogram. Move all seven into the glowing silhouette. Pieces never stretch, and each keeps its original shape.
Drag a piece to move it. Select it, then tap it again or press Rotate to turn by 45 degrees. The separate Flip button turns it over. When the shape and orientation match an empty place, the piece snaps into position and glows. The last piece brings the illustrated story out of the screen.
Choose your stage
Easy shows the piece lines and starts pieces in their correct orientations. Medium shows the silhouette without internal lines; rotation matters. Hard also starts every piece face up, so some pieces must be flipped. Expert uses two complete sets—fourteen pieces—on one stage.
Hints and little stars
A hint reveals one missing piece’s position. It does not place the piece for you. Completing a puzzle earns one star, using no hints earns another, and finishing in 180 seconds with at most 35 committed moves earns a third. Expert allows 360 seconds and 70 moves. Your best rating and illustrated stickers stay saved on this device. Pausing or hiding the tab pauses the solo timer.
Make a story of your own
Builder opens seven loose pieces on a paper screen. Arrange them without overlaps, then use Share shape to create a challenge link. Your friend plays that exact silhouette. Shapes are geometric and contain no uploaded images or text. These links are casual challenges, not live races.
Race together
Race with friends opens a private room for two to four people. Share its invitation, choose a story and difficulty, then everyone presses Ready. The host starts a four-second countdown; computer guests fill empty seats. Everyone solves the same shape. The first completed arrangement accepted by the server wins. Hints and Undo are available to everyone. A ten-minute limit closes an unfinished race. Hiding your tab does not pause a live race. Return to the same lobby after the result to choose another story.
Curved keepsakes
The egg and heart use original Glintwick dissections, with nine distinct curved and straight pieces. No stretching: the same rotate, flip and snap controls apply. These are separate bonus piece sets, not the classic seven-piece tangram. Expert uses two complete sets. Builder continues to use the classic seven pieces.
A daily visit
One of the current theater puzzles is selected each day. Everyone sees the same daily, changing at midnight Eastern. It also appears on Princess Alyssa’s Daily Puzzles board.
Opening collection
Eight classic stories are joined by two original curved bonus sets: a nine-piece egg and a nine-piece heart. Expert doubles either set to eighteen pieces. The full sixty-story collection is still being prepared.
Gentle company
Luma’s stories are warm, playful shadows. The castle stories celebrate Princess Alyssa’s dancing and Cosmo’s quiet company. They belong here in the family-friendly Carnival Quarter and never appear in Boardwalk games.
Comfort and access
Keyboard: Tab to a piece, use arrows to move, R to rotate, F to flip, and Enter to try a snap. Hold Shift with arrows for larger steps. Sound starts off. Settings include animation speed, light/dark and static art. Reduced motion replaces movement with fades.