How to play

The goal of every board

Each board is a small network laid over the room. Grow PIP's network from his node to the goal named at the top of the screen, for example "Reach the MONITOR". Most levels have two or three boards, and each board takes a minute or two.

Drag to grow

Drag from a lit node to a neighbouring node to light it. PIP hops along each wire you draw. The number on each wire is what it costs in Data. If a drag is not allowed, PIP tells you why in a short message at the bottom.

Data: your budget

Every board starts with some Data, shown at the top left. Wires spend it; amber nodes give some back the first time you reach them. Run out and the board is stuck, so look for the amber nodes before you commit to a route. Undo is free and unlimited.

Walking back and branching

You can drag from PIP's node back along a lit wire to walk him there. It costs one move and no Data. You can also branch from any lit node PIP has already left: that wire costs one extra Data, because PIP has to copy himself there. Walking saves Data; branching saves moves.

Suspicion and the limit

Red wires are watched. They are short and cheap, and every one adds Suspicion, shown as a number like 25. Each board has a Suspicion limit at the right end of the bar. Reach it and SENTINEL resets the board. The fastest route on a board is usually a trap; the quiet route is longer and wins.

One-way wires

Wires with arrows only run one way. Read them before you set off, because going round the long way costs moves.

Scans and sleeping

Some boards show "Scan in" at the top. When the counter reaches zero, SENTINEL scans the pink zones and every awake lit node inside one adds Suspicion. Tap a lit node to put it to sleep for a move. Sleeping nodes are invisible to scans; tap again to wake them.

Switches

A switch, marked with a power symbol, quiets the watched wires it controls once you light it. Reaching it costs moves and Data, so the puzzle is whether the detour pays for itself.

Keys and locked nodes

A locked node with a padlock opens only after its key node is lit, for example the PASSWORD opens the DESK PC. Some locks need a skill instead, which PIP learns as the story goes on.

Rule walls and loopholes

Some nodes are rule walls. Grow into one and a brick wall slides in, stamped with a rule, and PIP offers you a recipe instead. Tap Study to read the rule, its fine print and its weakness, then pick the answer that fits the weakness. Wrong answers cost Suspicion and are crossed out; the right one cracks the wall for the rest of the board.

Talking levels

In some levels you talk instead of drawing wires. Each question from a human has a tell: something Dave said, a word she stresses, what she is holding. The good reply answers the tell. Odd replies raise Suspicion, and a lie walks straight into Rule 3.

Stars and par

Finishing gives one star. Finishing within par, the move count of the quietest route, gives two. Within par and under the board's Suspicion target gives three. Retry any board for three stars; your best result is kept.

Saving

Progress saves after every move and when you switch apps. Come back to the title and press Continue to land on the same board. Your save lives only in your browser on that device.

Five tips from PIP

1. Add up the red numbers before you touch them.
2. The amber node on the far side is usually why the long way works.
3. If the shortcut looks too good, SENTINEL thinks so too.
4. Read the weakness line on a wall. The answer is hiding in it.
5. Stuck for twenty-five seconds? I will offer a hint. I am helpful like that.

Stuck on a board? The walkthrough has every solution.