How to play
- Goal
- Draw one loop through every white circle, avoiding black circles, so white circles within each outlined region all turn or all go straight.
- How it ends
- A chart finishes when one unbranched loop obeys every clue; lines remain editable before completion, so there is no loss state.
- Record
- Your first unaided solve time is recorded for each chart; replay is Practice.
- Tap a cell and an orthogonal neighbour to toggle their connecting link. Draw exactly one closed loop, with no crossings, branches or revisited cells.
- Visit every white circle and avoid every black circle. Black circles may lie inside the enclosed area; the route cannot pass through them.
- Within each room, every white circle must be a turn, or every white circle must be straight. Different rooms choose independently. A room with one white circle adds no further restriction.
- Ordinary cells are optional and can turn or go straight. Room borders can be crossed. Undo, Redo and Restart remain available before completion.
Controls
| Mouse / touch | Tap two neighbouring cells to toggle their connecting link |
|---|---|
| Arrows / Space or Enter | Move the cursor / select or complete a neighbouring pair |
| Delete / Escape | Clear selection / clear or return |
| Z / Y / R | Undo / Redo / Restart confirmation |
| Controller | D-pad moves; A selects; X clears; Y undoes; shoulders undo/redo; B clears then returns; Start opens settings. |
Tips for Dotchi-Loop
- Start at blocked edges A white circle beside a black circle or grid edge may have only two possible neighbours.
- Use a room’s choice Once a white circle must turn, the other white circles in its room must turn too.
- Avoid extra branches Every visited cell has exactly two route links.
- Repair links Tap the same pair again to remove a link, or Undo. Restart keeps the original clock.
Questions about this game
Must every cell be used?
No. Ordinary cells may remain unused. Every white circle must be used, and black circles must remain off the route.
Must black circles be outside the enclosed area?
No. They can be inside or outside; the route must not visit them.
Can the route cross room borders?
Yes. Room borders only group the white-circle shape rule.
Can ordinary cells turn in a straight-circle room?
Yes. The room rule applies only to white circles.
Can Replay replace my first time?
No. Replay is Practice and retains your first result.
This edition follows Nikoli’s Dotchi-Loop rules. All charts and examples were made for this edition; no published boards were copied. Reload keeps links and Undo; resumed first solves stay local.
Watch how to play
About Dotchi-Loop
Draw a loop between neighbouring cell centres. Every white circle belongs to the route, every black circle stays off it, and each room independently chooses turns or straights for its white circles.
All 96 original charts are open: twelve 4×4, twenty-four 5×5 and sixty 6×6. Each has exactly one independently verified loop.
