Tidydeck: Sort Puzzle

Tidydeck: Sort Puzzle is a digital puzzle game developed for mobile platforms. The game presents a single core objective: to organize a cluttered deck of illustrated cards into a clean, sorted state. Each card features a distinct icon, such as a fruit, tool, or geometric shape, and belongs to a specific color-coded category. The playing field consists of a central tableau where cards are stacked in a random, overlapping arrangement, and a set of designated sorting bins located at the bottom of the screen. The game is won when every card is placed into its correct bin, with all bins containing only cards of a single matching type. The game features a progression system of increasingly complex levels, introducing more card types, larger decks, and limited moves or time constraints. No narrative or character elements are present; the experience is purely mechanical and logic-based.

Gameplay mechanics are based on a single action: tapping a card to move it. The central tableau displays a pile of face-up cards, partially overlapping. Only the topmost card in any stack is accessible for selection. Tapping an accessible card lifts it from the pile. The player must then tap one of the sorting bins at the bottom of the screen to place the card. A card can only be placed into a bin if the bin is empty or if the top card in that bin shares the exact same icon and color. If a card is placed incorrectly, the game does not allow the move; the card returns to its original position. The game provides an undo button, typically located in the top corner, which reverses the last move. A shuffle button is also available, which randomly rearranges all cards currently in the central tableau, but this feature is limited to a set number of uses per level.

Operation controls are exclusively touch-based. On a touchscreen, the player taps a card to select it and then taps a bin to deposit it. No drag-and-drop or swipe gestures are used. The game interface displays a move counter and a timer on the level select screen, but not all levels enforce both constraints. Tactical techniques involve prioritizing the clearing of cards that block access to deeper layers. A common strategy is to temporarily fill a bin with a single card type to create space, then move those cards to their correct bin later. Players should avoid filling a bin with a card type that appears only once, as this wastes a bin slot. The shuffle button should be reserved for situations where no accessible card can be placed into any bin, creating a deadlock. Observing the total count of each card type before starting a level allows the player to plan bin allocation efficiently.