What kind of game is Area Claim?
It is a territory game: leave the border, draw a line through the open field and return to the border, and the side of the cut that has no big enemy becomes yours. Claim 75% of the board to clear the stage. Every piece you claim reveals part of a hidden picture with a ripple of color. It keeps the rules of the classic arcade line drawing games, with all graphics and sound rebuilt in code.
The board is 72 by 96 cells of dark field, and at first only the outer frame is yours. Your marker, a glowing diamond, moves freely along the edges of your land, and the moment it steps into the open field it starts drawing a line on its own. When the tip of the line reaches your land again, the line becomes land and every open region without a big enemy is filled in at once, however large. A big enemy made of spinning neon polygons drifts around the field, and small sparks run along the edges.
Which side do I get when I close a line?
You get every region that has no big enemy in it. If your line splits the field in two, only the piece holding the big enemy stays open. With two or more big enemies, you only claim the pieces that hold none.
| Situation | Result |
|---|---|
| Your line splits the field in two | You claim the piece without a big enemy, whatever its size |
| Two big enemies end up on different sides | Both pieces stay open and only the line becomes land |
| A big enemy is boxed into under 50 cells | It bursts and that land is yours too. 5,000 points × stage number |
| Every big enemy is boxed in | All remaining field is claimed at once for 100% |
| 75% or more claimed | Stage clear. The rest of the picture is revealed |
The percentage counts the 6,580 inner cells, not the outer frame, and is shown on the bar at the top. The white mark on the bar is the 75% goal.
When do I lose a life?
When a big enemy touches your line or your marker while you are drawing, when a spark touches your marker, or when you stop mid-line and the fuse catches you. The line you were drawing disappears, you go back to where it started, and you are safe for two seconds.
- Big enemies: They only float inside the open field and bounce off your land. They cannot hurt you on the border, but while you draw, touching any part of the line cuts it. In later stages they turn toward your line more often.
- Sparks: They run only along the edges and sometimes turn your way at junctions. The first appears 2 seconds into a stage and another every 4.5 seconds.
- Fuse: If you stop for more than 0.45 seconds while drawing, a fuse lights at the start of the line and burns along it at 11 cells per second. Moving again freezes the flame, but it does not go out.
How is the score calculated?
Each claimed cell is worth 10 points, bigger single claims get a bigger multiplier, and a slow line doubles it again. Clearing a stage adds a bonus for every percent above 75.
| Item | Points |
|---|---|
| Claimed cell | 10 each |
| 2% of the board or more at once | ×2 |
| 6% or more at once | ×3 |
| 12% or more at once | ×4 |
| Line drawn entirely in slow mode | ×2 on top. Releasing the button midway makes it a normal line |
| Boxing in a big enemy | 5,000 × stage number each |
| Stage clear bonus | 1,000 per percent above 75, plus 1,000 × stage number |
What is slow drawing?
Hold the slow button (Shift, Space or X on a keyboard) while drawing and your marker moves at half speed, but the land claimed with that line scores double. Normal speed is 19 cells per second and slow drawing is 9.5.
The color tells you which is which: a normal line glows sky blue and a slow line glows pink. You must hold the button from the first cell to the last, otherwise the line counts as normal. Being slower makes it easier for a big enemy to catch you, so slow lines work best as short, wide cuts far from the enemy.
What changes as the stages go up?
There are more big enemies and sparks, and they move faster. One big enemy in stages 1 to 4, two in stages 5 to 11 and three from stage 12. Sparks start at one and gain one every four stages, up to five.
- Speed: Big enemies and sparks speed up a little each stage. Your own speed never changes.
- Lives: You start with three and gain one each time you clear stages 5, 10 and 15.
- Hidden pictures: Sunset Ridge, Lighthouse Coast, Aurora Snowfield, Flower Mandala, Balloon Meadow, Ringed Planet, Coral Reef, City Lights, Prism Tiles and Cherry Hill. From stage 11 they return mirrored with new colors.
- Continue: The furthest stage you reach is saved, and the title screen offers a button to start from there. The score starts from zero.
Any tips for a high score?
- Take corners far from the big enemy first. A short line means a short window of danger. Cutting corners into rectangles is the safest basic move.
- Squeeze the big enemy into a box. Shrink its region step by step under 50 cells and it bursts for big points. Boxing in the last one gives you 100% on the spot.
- Make wide cuts when the enemy bounces the other way. Claiming 12% or more at once is worth ×4.
- Dodge a spark by stepping one cell into the field. Sparks stay on the edges, so a short loop into the field lets them pass. Keep moving, though, or the fuse lights.
- Save slow drawing for when the enemy is far away. Double points are nice, but a life is worth more.
Controls
- Keyboard: Arrow keys or WASD. On the border you follow the edge of your land, and pressing toward the open field starts a line. Hold Shift, Space, X or Z to draw slowly. On the title and result screens, Space or Enter starts a game.
- Phone and tablet: Push the round stick at the bottom left to move and hold the pink button at the bottom right to draw slowly. On a wide screen both controls sit beside the board.
- Mouse: Hold and drag on the screen to move that way, and hold the right button to draw slowly.
- Top right buttons: Sound on or off and back to the menu. Any key skips the stage clear screen.
The hidden pictures and sound effects are all drawn and synthesized in code, so nothing is downloaded. Your best score and furthest stage are saved only in this browser and never sent to a server.