Cozy Arcade
Pillowcloud Drift
One sleepy cloud, one long night, and a moon to reach before the dream fades.
What you do
Pillowcloud Drift sends Naps the Cloudling up a scrolling night sky toward the Bedtime Moon. The sky rises at a steady pace while a dream meter slowly drains; moon crumbs and rings refill it, and storm puffs, lightning, and sleepy birds pop it. Eight routes each add one new thing, from breezes and drifting storms to shooting stars, birds, lightning, and rainbow rings. Finish route 4 to open the endless Night Sky, which speeds up and deepens the farther Naps drifts. Stars, best scores, and your best Night Sky distance are kept on this device.
How to play
- Press Play to start the suggested route, or pick a route number first. Routes open one at a time as you reach each moon.
- Steer Naps: on a computer, move the mouse and Naps drifts after it (no clicking); on a touch screen, drag anywhere on the sky; or use the arrow keys. Naps can roam the lower part of the sky while it scrolls upward on its own.
- Watch the dream meter. The night drains it steadily. Each moon crumb adds a little, a dream ring or shooting star adds a lot, and a rainbow ring adds the most and doubles crumbs for six seconds.
- Avoid storm puffs, lightning, and sleepy birds. Each bump pops a chunk of the dream and costs one of your three pillows. A glowing storm with a dotted column is about to drop lightning, and an arrow at the edge shows where a bird will fly in. Breezes push Naps sideways, so steer against them.
- Three bumps or an empty dream wake Naps up and end the route. Reach the Bedtime Moon at the top to finish it.
- Each route gives up to three stars: one for reaching the moon, one for gathering 70 percent of its crumbs, and one for arriving with at least half a dream. Your score adds crumbs, rings, shooting stars, the moon, and 5 points for every percent of dream left. Finish route 4 to open the endless Night Sky.
Controls
- Mouse: move the pointer over the sky and Naps drifts after it. No button is needed.
- Touch: drag anywhere on the sky; Naps moves with your finger from where it is, so your finger never hides it.
- Keyboard: arrow keys or W, A, S, D steer. The sky takes focus when a route starts.
- Toolbar: pause, restart, sound, help, and fullscreen. Results screens only continue with their Next route, Try again, and Routes buttons.
Tips worth knowing
- Fly through every dream ring you can. A ring refills six times as much dream as a crumb.
- Crumbs that lead straight into a storm are a trap. Go around and pick up the ones on the far side.
- In a breeze, aim a little upwind of where you want to be.
- A drifting storm swings side to side. Slip past on the side it is swinging away from.
- When a storm starts to glow, move out from under it before the lightning falls.
Accessibility
- Steer by mouse (no clicking), by dragging anywhere on a touch screen, or with the arrow keys.
- Every hazard is announced before it can bump Naps: lightning shows a glowing storm and a dotted column, and birds show an arrow at the edge of the sky.
- A screen reader hears bumps, pillows left, new features, a fading dream, and the result of each route.
- Reduced motion removes decorative effects and screen shake. The scrolling sky and moving hazards remain part of the challenge.
- Optional sound can be muted. Pause freezes the sky, the dream meter, and every moving hazard.
Questions
What does Pillowcloud Drift save?
Your stars and best score for each route, which routes are open, your best Night Sky distance and score, and total moon crumbs, in this browser's local storage. A route in progress is not saved. Saves from the earlier swipe-to-gust version keep their unlocked routes, and their old Cozy to Moonlit ratings are shown as classic records.
Can Pillowcloud Drift be played without sound?
Yes. Every crumb, ring, bump, warning, and finish has a visible cue, and sound can stay muted.
