← Shoji

How to play Shoji

A calm block puzzle on an 8x8 board. Free in your browser, no download.

Play Shoji now

The rules

1. You get three pieces at a time in the tray below the board.
2. Drag a piece onto the 8x8 board. Pieces never rotate, so place them as they come.
3. Fill a whole row or a whole column and it clears. Several rows and columns can clear in one move.
4. When all three pieces are placed, a fresh set of three arrives.
5. There is no timer and no move limit. The run ends when none of the pieces left in your tray fits anywhere on the board.

Scoring

Every cell you place scores 1 point. Clearing lines scores a bonus that grows quickly with the number of lines cleared in the same move:

Lines in one move	Line bonus
1	18
2	58
3	138
4	295

A row and a column cleared together count as two lines.

The x2 streak

The thin bar under your score is the streak meter. Each line you clear fills it a little (about six lines fill it), and it slowly drains while you are not clearing, emptying fully in roughly half a minute. When the bar is full, your next clear scores double the line bonus, then the bar resets. Clearing steadily is worth more than waiting for one big move.

Modes

• Endless - play until you are stuck. Big pieces (four cells or more) turn up less often early on and more often once you pass 10,000 and 25,000 points, so long runs get harder.
• Daily Challenge - everyone gets the same pieces in the same order, with a fixed difficulty. It changes at midnight UTC. Replay it as often as you like; your best score of the day goes on the daily leaderboard. Play on consecutive days to build a daily streak.

Helpers, themes and achievements

• Hint - the hint button lights up a spot where one of your pieces fits. It then needs four seconds to recharge.
• Themes - Day is open from the start, Dusk unlocks at a best score of 10,000 and Night at 50,000.
• Achievements - fifteen ink-stamp goals, from your first cleared line to a 30-day daily streak. See them under About.
• Pausing - switch tabs or apps and the game pauses itself, so the streak meter stops draining.

Tips

• Keep a 3x3 space open. The 3x3 square and the five-cell lines are the pieces that end runs.
• Fill along the edges and corners first and keep the middle flexible.
• Before placing, check that the other two pieces will still fit afterwards.
• Set up moves that clear a row and a column together: two lines score 58, not 36.
• Clear little and often to keep the streak meter topped up for the x2 bonus.
• Stuck for a move? Use the hint before you assume the run is over.

FAQ

Is Shoji free?

Yes. Shoji is free to play in your browser with no download, no account and no adverts on the web version.

Can I rotate the pieces?

No. Pieces never rotate, so each shape arrives in a fixed orientation. Part of the puzzle is keeping room for the awkward ones.

When does the game end?

When none of the pieces left in your tray will fit anywhere on the board. There is no timer and no move limit.

When does the Daily Challenge change?

At midnight UTC, which is 1am in the UK during British Summer Time. Everyone gets the same pieces in the same order that day, and you can replay it as often as you like; your best score counts.

How do I unlock the Dusk and Night themes?

Reach a best score of 10,000 for Dusk and 50,000 for Night. Day is unlocked from the start. Pick a theme in Settings.

Do I need to sign up for the leaderboard?

No. The leaderboard is optional. If you join, you pick a public display name and the game sends only that name, a random player ID and your scores.

Does it work offline?

Yes. Once the page has loaded, the game keeps working without a connection. The leaderboard simply waits until you are back online.

More free games

All cyber-jack games - six daily word games - Letterly - Cluster - Rankle - Spot On