At the heart of every Hatchlo level sits a sleeping egg, wrapped in rings. Each ring has an opening, a gap in its circle. Your job is to turn the rings until the way out is clear, and the egg can hatch.
The goal
Tap a ring to turn it one notch. Keep turning until every opening lines up with the glowing exit. When they do, the rings fly away, the egg cracks and a baby creature hatches.
No luck, no timer
Hatchlo has no clock and no randomness. Every level has a solution, found by thinking about how the rings affect each other, so you can take all the time you like.
What “par” means
Each level has a par: the minimum number of moves needed to solve it, just like in golf. Finishing a level is already a win. Finishing it at par earns a better result, and rare creatures may hatch when you do.
New ideas, one at a time
The 100 levels teach one new idea every five levels: gears, one-way rings, padlocks and keys, and square, hexagon and star-shaped rings. Each new idea arrives in a simple level first, so you can see how it works.
Stuck?
- Undo your last move.
- Use a hint: a few are free every day and more are earned by playing.
- Try Zen mode: endless eggs with no counters and no stars.
A first level in detail
In an early level there is a single ring around the egg. Its opening is somewhere on the circle, and the glowing exit is at a fixed spot. Each tap turns the ring by one notch, so the number of taps needed is simply the number of notches between the opening and the exit. With two or three rings the question gets more interesting: the order in which you turn them can matter, and one ring can sit in front of another and block it.
Why par is a friendly goal
Par is the minimum number of moves needed to solve a level, like par on a golf hole. Reaching it is a small, clean victory, and rare creatures may hatch when you do. But there is no penalty for taking more moves: the stars and the par are there to give you something to aim for on a second visit, never to rush you.
New ideas arrive gently
Every five levels, Hatchlo introduces one new idea: gears, one-way rings, padlocks and keys, and rings in the shapes of squares, hexagons and stars. Each new idea appears in an easy level first, so you can see what it does before it is combined with the others. If a level feels hard, it is usually because the new idea has just arrived: look at what is different, not at everything at once.
Feathers, hints and the nest
You earn feathers by playing, and you can spend them on decorations for the nest where your creatures live. Some hints are free every day and more are earned along the way, so you never have to stay stuck. Music-box sounds, soft music and vibrations are all optional and can each be turned off in the settings.