Cozy Arcade
Firefly Hollow
Keep the lantern glowing: catch fireflies, read the path in your light, and walk as deep into the hollow as the glow allows.
What you do
Firefly Hollow is a night walk through a 3D forest with a scarf-wearing raccoon and its lantern. The lantern's glow is your light and your life at once: it fades all the time, it is how far you can see, and the walk ends when it goes out. Fireflies shine on their own, so you can always spot them in the dark; steer into them to brighten the lantern. Roots, stumps and thorny brambles only show clearly inside the glow, with a faint moonlit outline just beyond it, and every bump dims the light sharply. A small light makes the path ahead harder to read, so keeping the lantern bright makes everything easier, and chasing a cluster of fireflies into the dark is a real gamble. A Flare spends some glow to light the whole path for a moment. Owls, mud, bends and root walls join the path as you walk deeper, past seven named glades that award up to three stars each.
- Darkness is the game: the lantern's glow is your health and how far you can see, so a bright lantern makes the path easier to read.
- Free steering along a winding moonlit path, with fireflies that glow in the dark and swirl in clusters.
- Roots, stumps and thorny brambles show clearly only inside your light, with faint silhouettes just beyond it.
- A Flare that spends a little glow to light the whole path ahead for a moment and scare off a swooping owl.
- Owls that hoot and mark a ring before they swoop, mud that slows your steering, bends that push you outward, and late root walls with a single gap.
- Glow chains: 10 fireflies in a row without a bump raise their light and points, up to four times.
How to play
- Press Play. The raccoon walks the forest path by itself; you steer it left and right. Its lantern's glow is your light and your life: it fades all the time, and the walk ends when it goes out.
- Steer into fireflies to catch them. Each one brightens the lantern, so you see farther ahead.
- Roots, stumps and brambles dim the lantern sharply. Past the edge of your light they show only as faint outlines, so read ahead and steer around them.
- Mud slows your steering and the brush beside the path snags your lantern. On bends the path nudges you outward.
- When an owl hoots, a ring on the path marks where it will swoop. Step out of the ring before it strikes.
- Flare spends a little glow to light the whole path ahead for a moment, and scares off a swooping owl.
- Catch 10 fireflies in a row without a bump to raise the glow chain (up to x4). Reach glades for stars: arriving bright earns more.
Controls
- Touch: drag left or right anywhere on the path, or press and hold on one side. Tap the Flare button at the bottom right to light the path ahead.
- Mouse: the raccoon follows the cursor, with no button to hold. Click anywhere on the path to flare the lantern.
- Keyboard: hold the Left and Right arrows or A and D to steer. Space or F flares the lantern.
- After a walk: choose Walk again or Title on the results card.
- Shared toolbar: pause, restart, sound, help and fullscreen.
Tips worth knowing
- A bump costs as much light as six or more fireflies, so passing beside a cluster beats charging through a bramble for it.
- Fireflies just behind a stump or bramble are bait: swing around the hazard first, then drift back in.
- A bigger glow means more time to react. When the light gets small, play safe until a cluster brings it back.
- Flare when the light is small and the path ahead is busy, or when an owl's ring traps you between hazards.
- Keep a glow chain going: at x2 and above each firefly gives more light as well as more points.
- Glades share some light. Arrive with 60% glow or more for three stars.
Accessibility
- Steer with touch, a mouse or the keyboard. Keys work while the path has focus, which it takes when a walk starts.
- The lantern meter shows the glow as a bar and a percentage, and pulses when the light is low.
- Hazards have their own shapes, and owls give a sound and a ring on the path before they swoop.
- Pause freezes the walk completely, and a new walk only starts from the Walk again button.
- Glades, bumps and the end of a walk are announced to screen readers. Reduced motion turns off screen shake. Sound is never required.
Questions
Is Firefly Hollow one-hit failure?
No. Bumps dim the lantern instead of ending the walk. The walk ends only when the light goes out, and fireflies bring it back.
Can I play Firefly Hollow on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Drag or hold on the path to steer and tap the Flare button. It plays upright or sideways, with keyboard and mouse controls on a computer.
Does Firefly Hollow save my progress?
Yes. Your best score, farthest walk, most fireflies, longest glow chain and stars at each glade are saved in this browser on this device. A best score from the earlier lane-runner version is kept and shown on the title screen as your classic best.
