PlankwayThe weekly difficulty: from easy Monday to expert Sunday
Plankway follows the tradition of newspaper puzzles: the week starts gentle and ends with a challenge. The difficulty is not a feeling; it is set by the grid, the number of islands and reefs, and above all by the hardest technique the puzzle requires.
Day by day
| Day | Grid | Islands | Reefs | Up to technique |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 7 × 7 | 10 | up to 2 | At least one |
| Tuesday | 7 × 7 | 12 | up to 2 | At least one |
| Wednesday | 8 × 8 | 14 | up to 3 | Avoid isolation |
| Thursday | 8 × 8 | 16 | up to 3 | Avoid isolation |
| Friday | 9 × 9 | 18 | up to 4 | The only way out |
| Saturday | 9 × 9 | 20 | up to 4 | Try and see |
| Sunday | 10 × 10 | 22 | up to 5 | Try and see |
The technique column is the ceiling for that day: the generator only accepts puzzles that can be solved with techniques up to that level, and it prefers puzzles that actually need the top one. Mondays can be finished with full island and every bridge counts alone; Sundays may need try and see.
Difficulty labels
- Easy: only counting techniques (weight 1 and 2).
- Medium: needs avoid isolation (weight 3).
- Hard: needs the only way out (weight 4).
- Expert: needs try and see (weight 6).
Every puzzle in the archive shows its label, so you can pick a past puzzle at the level you want to practise.
Endless mode
Endless mode is a separate ramp. Level 1 is a 5 × 5 grid with five islands and one reef; by level 29 it is a 9 × 9 grid with around twenty islands and four reefs. The allowed techniques grow along the way. From level 30 on, every level picks a size between 8 × 8 and 10 × 10 and a difficulty between hard and expert, so it keeps you on your toes. Like the daily, every level is the same for every player.