What is ttakji, the Korean paper slap game?
Ttakji (also spelled ddakji) is a Korean playground game where you slam your folded paper tile down next to your opponent's tile on the floor, and if the gust and shock flip their tile over, you keep it. If it does not flip, your tile stays on the floor and your opponent takes a turn at yours.
This game keeps those rules. Each side starts with five tiles folded from two sheets of coloured paper, you win tiles one at a time, and the first player to leave the other with no tiles wins. A successful flip keeps the turn; a miss hands it over. A round takes place inside a chalk circle on a dirt playground or a taped square on a classroom floor.
What decides whether a tile flips?
Four things: how far from the tile's edge your slap lands, whether you hit from the side with the lifted edge, whether the wind blows toward the tile's center, and how hard you hit. A tile on the floor always has one edge slightly raised, and the air has to get under that edge.
| Condition | Effect |
|---|---|
| Landing about a third of a tile width from the edge | The best spot for the gust |
| Landing on top of the tile | Pins it flat, almost never flips |
| Hitting from the lifted edge | Up to 1.6 times stronger, depending on the lift |
| Hitting from the opposite edge | Nearly half as strong |
| Wind aimed at the center | Full force. Glancing swings drop to 60% |
| Power | More force, but the landing spot scatters more |
With too little force the tile lifts, wobbles and drops back; pinned flat, it does not budge. Even a perfect hit keeps about 20% luck in the mix, so every slap stays tense, just like the real thing.
What happens when I miss?
If the tile does not flip, your tile stays where it landed and becomes the new target, and your opponent attacks it with one of theirs. Their tile on the floor goes back to their pile.
- On a flip: their tile joins your pile, you pick your own tile back up, and the turn stays yours. Your opponent lays down a fresh tile.
- On a miss: your tile is the new target with a freshly lifted edge. Hard slaps scatter, so a wild hit can even land on top of the target.
- End: the round ends when one side has no tiles left. A win records how many slaps it took, and fewer is better.
How good is the computer?
There are three levels. Easy picks any side at any power, Normal aims at the lifted edge six times out of ten, and Hard always hits the best spot on the lifted edge at a sensible power.
| Level | Target side | Power | Aim scatter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | Random | 20 to 100% | Large |
| Normal | Lifted edge 62%, a neighbour 38% | 40 to 90% | Medium |
| Hard | Always the lifted edge | 58 to 74% | Small |
Even Hard is subject to the same power scatter and 20% luck, so it is beatable. In two player mode, put one phone in the middle and take turns pulling and releasing.
What is the ttakji collection?
There are twelve patterns: star, lightning, sun, moon, rings, stripes, checker, diamond, waves, triangles, honeycomb and spiral, and every tile you flip and win adds its pattern to your collection. Tiles you started with do not count, only the ones you actually win.
At the start of a round the computer's tiles are dealt from patterns you have not collected yet, so a few wins fill the book quickly. The collection and your best scores per level are saved in this browser only.
Tips for flipping more tiles
- Find the lifted edge first. One edge of the floor tile shows a bright line with a shadow gap under it. Hit from that side, swinging toward the center.
- Aim a little away from the tile. Landing right against the edge or on top of it leaves no room for the air. About a third of a tile width away is ideal.
- 60 to 75% power is the sweet spot. Full power hits hard but scatters so much that you hit the wrong side or land on the tile.
- The pull direction is the wind direction. Pull away from the tile with the aim point between your hand and the target so the gust goes under it.
- Plan for the miss. Where you land is the next target. Playing close and bold is better than hiding in a corner, since losing one tile costs only one tile.
Controls
- Touch or mouse: press the spot beside the floor tile where you want to land, pull back and your tile rises into your hand while the power gauge fills. Release to slam in the direction you pulled from. A quick tap hits that spot toward the tile's center at medium power.
- Keyboard: arrows or WASD move the aim point, Q and E rotate the wind angle. Hold Space to charge, the gauge sweeps up and down, and release to slap. Enter slaps at medium power right away.
- Other: the speaker button at the top right toggles the slap and flip sounds. The house button returns to the start screen.
Every pattern, floor and sound is drawn or synthesised in code, and nothing is sent to a server. The collection and best scores live in this browser only.