How to play
- Goal
- Guide all copies of each letter into one outlined home, with different letters in different homes and no routes sharing a cell.
- How it ends
- The chart finishes when every letter has a valid route, including letters that stay at their start, and all home rules agree; routes can be changed, so there is no loss state.
- Record
- The fastest uninterrupted first solve of each chart is kept with its holder’s name; replay is practice.
- Move each letter along its own route so all copies of that letter finish in one outlined home. Different letters must finish in different homes.
- Routes connect through sides and may bend. They cannot share a cell, cross, revisit a cell or pass another starting letter, even after it moves away.
- Only a route’s final cell determines its home. You may pass through other homes. Letters may stay at their starts, and blank cells need not be covered.
- In the worked example, A stays in the left home while B moves right. The small B marks its source and the large circled B its endpoint; the upper-right blank remains uncovered.
- Select a letter or its trail, then tap an empty cell beside its endpoint. Tap an earlier cell on the selected route to shorten it. Tapping another trail selects that letter without changing either route.
- Reset route returns the selected letter to its start. Undo and Redo repair mistakes. Restart keeps the first clock; reload preserves routes and Undo, with resumed finishes staying local. Replay preserves the first time.
Controls
| Mouse / touch | Select a letter or trail; tap a side-adjacent empty cell to extend, or an earlier selected trail cell to shorten |
|---|---|
| Previous / Next letter | Select any starting letter without changing its route |
| Arrow keys / Space / Delete | Move cursor / contextual cell action / reset selected route |
| Z / Y / R | Undo / Redo / Restart confirmation |
| Controller | D-pad moves; A acts; shoulders cycle letters; X resets a route; Y undoes; B returns; Start opens settings. |
Tips for Kaero
- Find an immobile letter A letter surrounded by other starting cells must stay. That fixes the home for every copy of its letter.
- Follow the endpoint A trail may pass through other homes. Its endpoint determines the letter’s home.
- Use reserved starts Every starting cell stays unavailable to other routes, even after its letter moves.
- Correct one route Select it and tap an earlier step, or use Reset route. Undo and Redo preserve the other letters.
Questions about this game
Must every blank cell be covered?
No. Only the letter routes and home rules determine completion.
Can a letter stay where it starts?
Yes. Its one-cell stationary route is valid and reserves that cell.
Can routes bend or pass through other homes?
Yes. They connect through sides; only their endpoints choose homes.
Can a route pass an empty former starting cell?
No. All starting cells remain reserved for their original letters.
Why does tapping another trail not extend mine?
It selects that trail’s letter and preserves both routes. Extend into empty side-neighbouring cells.
Can Replay improve my first time?
No. The first finish remains saved; Replay is practice.
All charts are open. Starting cells stay reserved. First clock starts on opening and continues through Restart; Replay keeps your first finish.
Watch how to play
About Kaero
Guide letter spirits across an ivory map. Dark home boundaries, small starting letters, trails and circled endpoints show where each letter began and where it now lives.
All 160 original charts are open: sixteen 4×4, seventy-two 5×5 and seventy-two 6×6. Each has one independently verified complete route ending and a deduction path.
