Cozy Puzzle
Pasture Whistle
A herding puzzle where walking is free and only whistles count: line Pip up behind the flock, whistle, and every nearby sheep steps one tile away from him.
What you do
A cozy sheepdog herding puzzle. Pip the sheepdog walks anywhere on open grass for free. When he whistles, every sheep within two tiles of him, counting diagonals, steps one tile straight away from him. A sheep that walks into another pushes it along, and if the line would run into a fence, a hedge, a pond or the edge of the field, none of it moves. A sheep that steps onto the hay is penned and stays there. Pen the whole flock in as few whistles as you can. There are 20 fields on the ladder, from a one-sheep tutorial to snug paddocks with five sheep, and from field 9 a curly-horned ram who only steps when Pip stands right beside him. Each field has a par, the fewest whistles that can pen its flock, found by a search through every possible whistle: pen it in par for three bells. Today’s field is a new field every day, picked by the date from a pool of 150. Arrows show exactly where every sheep will step before you whistle, green for into the pen and amber for a step that would strand a sheep for good. Undo is free and unlimited, each field has one hint that makes the tile Pip should whistle from next glow, and if the flock gets wedged the game says how many whistles to undo. There is no timer and no move limit. Your fields, bells and the field in progress save on this device.
- 20 fields that climb from a one-sheep tutorial to crowded paddocks with a stubborn ram, each with a par proven to be the fewest whistles possible.
- Today’s field: a new field every day, picked by the date from a pool of 150, each with its own proven par.
- Walking is free and only whistles count. Arrows preview exactly where every sheep will step, green for into the pen and amber for a step that strands a sheep for good.
- Free, unlimited undo, one hint per field that shows where Pip should stand next, and a note when the flock is wedged that says how many whistles to undo.
- Three bells per field at par, a meadow map of bells across the ladder, and your fields, records and the field in progress saved on this device.
How to play
- Press Start on the title card. Field 1 is a one-sheep tutorial, each field you pen opens the next, and Today’s field is open from the start.
- Tap or click open grass to walk Pip there. Walking is free. Pip goes around fences, ponds, hedges and sheep, and striped grass shows where he cannot get to right now.
- Press Whistle, or tap Pip. Every sheep within two tiles of Pip, counting diagonals, steps one tile straight away from him. The dashed frame shows that reach, and arrows show each step before you whistle.
- A sheep that walks into another pushes it along. If the line would run into a fence, hedge, pond or the edge of the field, none of it moves. A diagonal step cannot squeeze between two blocked tiles.
- A sheep that steps onto the hay is penned and stays there. Pen every sheep to finish the field: three bells at par, two within two whistles of par, and one otherwise.
- From field 9 the curly-horned ram joins in. He only steps when Pip stands right beside him, not on a corner, and other sheep cannot shove him, though he can push them.
Controls
- Keyboard: arrow keys or WASD walk Pip one tile, Space or Enter whistles, U, Z or Backspace undoes, H asks for the hint, R restarts the field and M opens the meadow map (Escape closes it).
- Touch: tap grass to walk, tap Pip or the Whistle button to whistle, and use Undo, Restart and Hint under the field. Tap the field name to open the meadow map.
- Mouse: click grass to walk and click Pip to whistle. Hover over any tile Pip can reach to see what a whistle from there would do.
- Toolbar: pause, help, restart (starts the field on screen over; bells, records and open fields stay, and a spent hint stays spent), optional sound and fullscreen.
Tips worth knowing
- Walking never costs anything, so check the arrows from a few different tiles before you whistle. With a mouse, just hover.
- Get behind the flock. A sheep steps straight away from Pip, so stand on the far side of it from the pen to send it toward the hay.
- Use fences as a backstop. A sheep pressed against a fence stays put, so you can nudge its neighbors without moving it.
- Watch for amber arrows. They mean that whistle would strand a sheep where it can never reach the pen, so walk somewhere else first.
- Plan around the ram. He only moves when Pip is right beside him, and a line of sheep stops dead if it runs into him.
- Undo is free and unlimited, and the whistle count goes back down too. If a note says the sheep are wedged, it tells you how many whistles to undo.
Accessibility
- Everything can be played with a keyboard: arrow keys or WASD walk Pip, Space whistles, and every button is reachable with Tab.
- There is no timer and no move limit. Walking is free, only whistles count, and undo is free and unlimited.
- Arrows mark where every sheep will step before you whistle, so nothing depends on following a fast animation, and the tip line under the scoreboard spells out what a green or amber arrow means whenever one appears.
- Each whistle is announced to screen readers: how many sheep stepped, how many were penned and how many are left. The field has a spoken summary of the sheep left, whistles so far and par.
- Reduced motion makes walking and every sheep step near instant and stills the glow and heart effects. Sound is optional and never needed to play.
Questions
Can every field be solved, and what does par mean?
Yes. Par is the fewest whistles that pen the whole flock, found by a search that tries every possible whistle from every position. The game’s checks replay a shortest solution for every field and confirm that no shorter one exists. Walking never counts, so par only counts whistles.
How do bells work?
Pen the flock in par for three bells, within two whistles of par for two, and in any number of whistles for one. Using the hint on a field caps it at two bells. The meadow map keeps your most bells and fewest whistles for every ladder field, out of 60 bells in all.
How does the hint work?
Each field has one hint. It makes a tile glow where Pip should stand and whistle next, on a shortest route from the position on screen. Once used it stays spent if you undo, restart or leave, until you pen the field. If the flock is wedged and can no longer be penned, the game says so and how many whistles to undo, without spending the hint.
What do the arrow colors mean?
Before you whistle, an arrow shows the step each sheep would take from where Pip stands, or from the tile under the mouse. A white arrow is an ordinary step. A green arrow goes into the pen, and a see-through sheep shows where it will rest on the hay. An amber arrow means that step would leave a sheep somewhere it can never be herded back to the pen.
What does Pasture Whistle save?
On this device: which ladder fields are open, your fewest whistles and most bells on each field, your record on today’s field, and every field you have started but not penned, whistle by whistle, so the position and its undo history come back after a reload. A spent hint is saved too, and today’s field in progress is cleared when the date changes. Restart in the toolbar starts the field on screen over and never touches your bells, records or open fields. If the browser blocks saving, you can still play, and the game says your progress lasts only until you leave the page.
