How to play
- Goal
- Leave one-cell-wide L-shaped islands that satisfy every bend and arrow clue, with one connected wall and no solid 2×2 wall block.
- How it ends
- The chart finishes when every cell is marked and all island and wall rules hold; marks can be corrected, so there is no loss state.
- Record
- Your first unaided solve time is recorded for each chart; Replay is Practice.
- Every island has two nonempty perpendicular arms, each one cell wide. Islands may touch at corners but never share an edge. Straight bars, single cells, branches and thick shapes are illegal.
- A circle sits at the bend. Its optional number counts the whole island, including the bend. An arrow sits at an arm’s tip and points straight toward the bend. Printed clues are fixed Island cells; an island may contain no clues, one clue or several.
- All remaining cells form one nonempty connected Wall without any solid 2×2 Wall block. Mark every square Wall or Island to finish; unknown squares do not count as Island.
- Choose Wall, Island or Erase, then tap or drag and release. One released stroke is one Undo. Use Undo and Redo to correct marks. More opens Restart, How to play and Settings. The first-solve clock starts on deal and keeps running through Restart and reload.
Controls
| Mouse / touch | Select a tool, tap or drag across cells and release |
|---|---|
| Arrows + Enter / Space | Move and apply the selected tool |
| B / W / E | Wall / Island / Erase |
| Z / Y / R | Undo / Redo / Restart confirmation |
| Escape | Cancel a draft, close a dialog or return to the atlas |
| Controller | D-pad moves; A applies; X cycles tools; Y focuses the grid; shoulders Undo/Redo; B returns; Start settings. |
Tips for Sashikabe
- Start at the bend A corner circle needs one arm along each available direction. Count the bend once.
- Read an arrow as an endpoint Its arm continues toward the bend; other edge neighbours must stay Wall.
- Finish counted islands Once the required area is complete, outside edge neighbours must be Wall.
- Check the wall An isolated dark cell needs a connection. Three dark corners of a 2×2 square force its last corner Island.
Questions about this game
Must every island have a clue?
No. Unmarked islands obey the same thin-L rules.
Can an island have several clues?
Yes. Every circle and arrow must agree with that island’s bend and endpoints.
Can islands touch diagonally?
Yes. They cannot share an edge.
Must I mark every cell?
Yes. Every cell must be Wall or Island to finish.
Can Replay replace my first time?
No. Replay is Practice and keeps your first result.
All charts and examples are original. Reload keeps marks and Undo; resumed first solves stay local. Shelves describe chart dimensions, not difficulty.
Watch how to play
About Sashikabe
Mark pale islands shaped like thin Ls, with one connected dark wall between them. Circle clues mark bends, and arrows point inward from arm tips.
All 96 original charts are open: three 4×4, thirty-three 5×4 and sixty 5×5. Each has exactly one independently verified ending. Thirty charts include a wholly unmarked island.
