How to play Perfect Mow

Perfect Mow is a lawn-mowing puzzle you play in your browser. Your job is to cut every patch of grass, and the catch is that the clock only counts the route you drive. There are three lawns to solve: Front Yard, Back Garden and The Estate.

Controls

Computer: drive with the arrow keys or WASD. Backspace (or Z) undoes your last move and R restarts the lawn.
Phone or tablet: swipe, tap in the direction you want to go, or use the arrow buttons on screen.

How scoring works

Every square you drive over costs 1 second. Every 90° turn adds another second, and a U-turn adds 2. Driving over grass you have already cut still costs time, so wandering around is expensive.

You move on to the next lawn only when you finish with the fastest possible route for that lawn. A slower route means you mow it again. That makes each level a puzzle about finding the cheapest path, not a test of reflexes.

Tips

Count turns, not just squares. A route with fewer corners can beat a shorter one that zigzags.
Look at the obstacles first. The oak in Front Yard, the fountain in Back Garden and the patio in The Estate all force turns. Work out which corners are unavoidable and plan around them.
Think about where you will finish. A lawn is easier when you decide the last square before you drive the first.
Use undo freely. It restores your time as well as your position, so trying a branch and backing out costs nothing.
Your first move has no turn cost, so the direction you start in is a free choice. Try the same lawn from a different starting direction if you get stuck.

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