Loopy Game

What is Loopy?

Loopy drops several fixed path fragments onto a grid and asks you to reveal the single route connecting them all. Your finished path must travel through every available cell before returning to its starting point as one perfectly closed loop.

The danger is not finding a route—it is finding the only route that leaves no cell behind. A turn that looks harmless can create an isolated pocket, force a forbidden crossing, or close a miniature loop while the rest of the board remains stranded outside.

Loopy Game Rules (The Catch / The Trap)

Your goal is to form one continuous closed loop that connects every given path piece and visits every available cell exactly once.

FIXED PIECES → EXTEND THE PATH → VISIT EVERY CELL → CLOSE ONE LOOP

Inside each cell, the path can take one of two basic forms:

• Straight: ─ or │
• Turn: ┌ ┐ └ or ┘

The completed Loopy game MUST follow these rules:

• Every available cell must be visited.
• Every pre-placed path piece must be connected into the final route.
• The path may continue straight or turn left or right inside a cell.
• The path CANNOT reverse direction within the same cell.
• The path CANNOT cross itself.
• Each cell can be visited only once.
• The finished route must form one closed loop, not several smaller loops.

The central trap is premature closure:

SMALL LOOP COMPLETE ✅ + UNUSED CELLS REMAIN ❌ = FAILED ROUTE

Two nearby endpoints may appear ready to connect, but joining them can seal off the loop before it has travelled through the rest of the grid. A legal local move can still destroy the global solution.

How To Play Loopy?

1. Inspect the fixed pieces.
   Board Shows: a horizontal segment near the top edge and a corner piece near the lower-right side.
   What You Learn: these pieces are LOCKED IN and must eventually belong to the same loop.

2. Extend the most restricted route.
   The top fragment cannot leave the board, so continue it inward and turn at the first safe cell.
   Player Draws: ──┐
   Result: the path enters the center without trapping an edge cell.

3. Preserve an entrance and exit.
   Route the line through several empty cells while ensuring each visited cell has exactly two connections.
   Current Path: ENTER → STRAIGHT OR TURN → EXIT

4. Reject the tempting shortcut.
   Possible Move: connect two nearby endpoints.
   Problem: the connection would create a closed loop with six unused cells outside it.
   Next Constraint: redirect one endpoint through the untouched area before bringing the paths together.

5. Close the final gap.
   Once every available cell and fixed piece belongs to the same route, connect the last two open ends.
   Result: ALL CELLS VISITED | NO CROSSINGS | ONE CLOSED LOOP.

Loopy Game Strategy & Tips

Begin with fixed pieces near borders and corners. Their possible directions are more restricted, making them safer starting points than fragments surrounded by open space.

Treat every unfinished path as needing one entrance and one exit. Avoid creating dead ends, three-way branches, or cells that can no longer be reached from either direction.

Watch for isolated regions. Before drawing a segment, check whether it cuts the remaining empty cells into separate groups. One loop must visit them all, so any move that permanently divides the board is almost certainly wrong.

Most importantly, do not close the loop until the final move. In Loopy, an elegant little circle is often not a victory—it is the trap.