Snowline FAQ
Quick answers about how Snowline works — merges, the frost timer, the leaderboard, controls, and audio.
What is Snowline?
A merge-drop physics puzzle built into Arctovec Games. Drop snowballs into a jar, matching sizes fuse into the next size up, and the run ends when the pile holds above the frost line. Endless, free, no account.
How do the merges work?
Whenever two snowballs of the same size touch — from a drop, a roll, or another merge — they fuse into one snowball of the next size up at the point of contact. Merges can chain into cascades.
What are the nine sizes?
Snowflake, Slush Ball, Snowball, Packed Ball, Ice Ball, Frost Orb, Glacier Chunk, Iceberg, and Aurora Core. Only the four smallest drop from the rail; the rest must be merged into existence.
What happens when two Aurora Cores merge?
That's the jackpot: a 1,000-point bonus. The pair collapses back into a single Snowflake rather than disappearing, which also frees up most of your jar.
Why didn't I lose the moment my pile crossed the frost line?
There's a one-second grace period. A ball that bounces over the line and settles back down is fine — the run only ends if the pile holds above the line for the full second. The zone glows red while the timer counts.
How do I get on the leaderboard?
When your run ends, if your score qualifies for the local top 10 you'll be prompted to enter three initials. The entry is stored in your browser only.
Is the leaderboard global?
No. Snowline v1 stores leaderboard entries in your browser via localStorage. There is no server, account, or sync.
Can I play on mobile?
Yes. Touch and drag on the jar to aim, lift your finger to drop. Desktop uses the mouse to aim with click or space to drop.
Why does the game pause when I switch tabs?
So the physics can't settle against you while you can't see the jar. The runtime resumes automatically when the tab regains focus.
Is there sound?
Light sound effects only — short code-synthesized cues for drops, merges, and the frost warning. A mute toggle sits above the jar, and there is no background music in v1.