NOYAKI — CONTROLLED BURN

Welcome to the world of controlled burning! This is a casual puzzle game about the craft of burning a field. A controlled burn means deliberately setting fire to grassland before spring arrives. Burning away the dead grass keeps the field from turning into forest. You are the one trusted to do it. Fire is not fickle. It follows the land and the wind. It races uphill and loses strength going down. It fans out downwind, and stops at cliffs, rivers and roads. So before you strike a match — you study the ground. Where to light. When. How many times. Where to cut a firebreak. Where to lead the livestock. Then you light it, and you watch. A fire, once released, never comes back to your hand. ■ Read it, light it, see it through You cannot steer the flames. You only choose where they begin. Take all the time you need before you light, then fast-forward and watch it play out. ■ Things worth saving People live on this grassland. Houses, barns, protected woods, and animals. If fire catches a building, the burn has failed. Cattle and sheep must be moved somewhere safe before the flames arrive. ■ Firebreaks Dig a firebreak and the fire stops there. But you carry only so many, and every one you leave unused counts toward your score. Fence it in by force, or read the land and spend almost nothing. ■ Judged on every count Coverage, ignitions saved, firebreaks saved, and time. Each is graded on its own, and your overall rank follows from them. The result screen shows exactly what fell short — so come back, try again, and climb. ■ And then, spring Green pushes up through the black. That was the point of the fire all along.