All games › A Balancing Act › How to play
How to play A Balancing Act
A Balancing Act is a physics stacking game you play in your browser. Odd shapes arrive one at a time: planks, crates, boxes, barrels, triangles and rocks. You place each one on a narrow rock in the sea and try to build the tallest tower you can. The moment anything falls into the sea, the round is over. Most rounds last one to three minutes.
Controls
- Phone or tablet: drag left or right to line up the hanging piece, then let go to drop it. A quick tap turns the piece 45 degrees. The piece only moves sideways, so it always stays above your finger.
- Computer: drag with the mouse and let go to drop, or click to turn. On the keyboard, the arrow keys move the piece, R turns it (Q turns it back) and Space drops it.
After each drop you have to wait until the tower is still again, or two seconds at most, before the next piece can fall. If you let go too early, the piece drops by itself as soon as the tower settles.
Scoring
Your score is the height of the tower in metres, measured from the top of the rock to the highest piece once everything has settled. Your best height in the round counts, even if the top later slumps. Your personal best and a friend's height (if they challenged you) are shown as dashed lines, so you can see how far you have to go. A friend you challenge gets exactly the same pieces and the same wind as you.
How it gets harder
The first few pieces are friendly crates, boxes and planks. After that come barrels, triangles and rocks, and some pieces arrive at an awkward angle. Then longer beams, wedges and tall pillars join in. From about the tenth piece, gusts of wind push the whole tower sideways. An arrow in the top corner warns you which way the next gust will blow. Later still, the rock itself starts to rock slowly from side to side.
Tips
- Build wide before you build tall. A plank laid across the top gives the next pieces a bigger target and spreads the weight.
- Turn awkward pieces flat. Lay barrels and pillars on their long side, and put triangles point up, so the flat side rests on the tower.
- Keep the middle over the rock. A tower that leans to one side gets worse with every piece. Use the next piece to bring the weight back.
- Don't drop during a gust. When the warning arrow appears, wait for the wind to die down, then drop.
- Tuck rocks into gaps. You can't choose your pieces, but you can choose where they go. Heavy rocks are steadier tucked into a gap than balanced on a corner.
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