How to play
- Goal
- Fill every empty cell with a sun or moon seal so that no four matching seals appear consecutively across a row, column, or diagonal.
- How it ends
- A chart is won when every cell is filled and no forbidden line remains; there is no loss state.
- Record
- Only the first completed time on each chart can rank; replays are practice and keep that first time.
- Fill every empty square with either a sun or moon. No four consecutive matching seals may appear in a row, column or either diagonal direction. Fixed starting seals cannot change. There is no rule about equal numbers of suns and moons.
- In the worked picture, three suns occupy one diagonal four-cell line. The fourth cell must be a moon; placing another sun there would make a forbidden line. Similar three-of-four patterns can force a mark in rows or columns.
- Tap a free cell to cycle blank, sun, moon, blank. Choose the Sun, Moon or Erase tool to mark directly. A chart finishes as soon as every cell is filled legally; a forbidden line glows red and can be repaired. Restart clears your marks but keeps the first-opening clock. Only the first finish can rank.
Controls
| Tap / click a free cell | Cycle blank, sun, moon, blank |
|---|---|
| Sun / Moon / Erase tool | Choose a direct mark for subsequent cell taps; tap the tool again to return to cycling |
| Right click | Clear a free cell |
| Arrow keys | Move the visible cell cursor |
| S / M; Enter / Space | Place sun or moon directly; use the chosen tool on the selected cell |
| Delete / Backspace | Clear the selected cell |
| Restart / R | Clear marks after confirmation without resetting the clock |
| Escape | Close a dialog or return to the atlas |
| Gamepad | D-pad moves and reaches controls at the board edge; A applies, X erases, shoulders change tool, B returns and Start opens settings |
Tips for No Four in a Row
- Three force one If three cells in a four-cell line match, its last cell must be the other seal.
- Look diagonally Both diagonal slopes obey exactly the same no-four rule.
- Follow the cascade Each forced seal may complete a new group of three elsewhere.
Questions about this game
Must there be equal suns and moons?
No. Avoiding four matching seals in a straight line is the only pattern rule.
Can a chart be lost?
No. Change any red forbidden line and keep solving.
Can I improve my time on replay?
No. Only the first completed time for each chart can rank; replay is practice.
160 original charts independently counted unique and solved by elementary forced-move tracing. Private answer witnesses never ship. Saves use morass.no-four-in-a-row.v1. No ads or analytics run inside the game.
Watch how to play
About No Four in a Row
In an Orenvalt observatory, repair a celestial ward by placing sun and moon seals in a brass-framed mosaic. Any straight line of four matching seals breaks the pattern.
All 160 original charts are open across four shelves. Each chart has one independently counted answer and a chain of elementary deductions that needs no guess, from compact five-by-five mosaics to seven-by-seven star paths.
Your first completed time stays with its chart. An uninterrupted first solve on the game page can claim the named best; later solves are practice.
