Scorch is a fire puzzle. You choose where the fire starts and where it cannot go, then watch it spread.
The goal
Burn every bramble.
Keep every house safe. If a house catches fire, the level is lost.
Place your spark (where the fire starts) and your firebreaks (tiles the fire cannot cross), then press Run.
Each level tells you how many sparks and firebreaks you have. You do not have to use every firebreak.
Planning is free. You can move pieces as often as you like before you press Run.
How fire spreads
Fire moves in ticks. Each tick, every burning tile sets fire to the tiles directly above, below, left and right of it.
Fire does not spread diagonally, except into dry brush.
Grass burns for 1 tick. Trees burn for 3 ticks, so they keep spreading fire for longer.
Wet grass only catches when two burning tiles touch it on the same tick.
Wind: a burning tile also sets fire to the tile two steps downwind, jumping over water, rock and firebreaks.
Sparks go on grass, brush, trees or oil. Firebreaks go on grass or brush only, never on trees.
The run ends when nothing is burning. Then the game checks the houses and brambles.
Tiles
Grass: burns for 1 tick.
Dry brush: burns for 1 tick and also catches from diagonal tiles.
🌲Tree: burns for 3 ticks. You cannot put a firebreak on it.
Wet grass: needs fire from two sides on the same tick.
Water: never burns.
Rock: never burns.
🏠House: must not burn.
Bramble: must burn.
Firebreak: yours to place. Fire cannot cross it, but wind and burrows can carry fire past it.
Each chapter adds one new rule:
Oil (The Old Mill): when it burns it sets fire to all 8 tiles around it, strong enough to light wet grass.
Snow (The Frost Pass): never burns. When fire reaches it, it melts into water and makes the grass beside it wet.
◎Burrows (The Burrows): they come in pairs. When one burns, fire comes out of its twin, past anything in between.
⚑Levers and gates (The Walled Gardens): gates are stone until any lever burns, then they turn to grass.
🏮Lanterns (The Lantern Road): a lantern lights itself on the tick shown at the top, wherever your spark is.
Rain clouds (The Rainlands): the cloud moves one step each tick along its dotted path. Nothing under it can catch fire, and fire under it goes out.
↻Shifting wind (The Storm Coast): the wind changes direction on the tick shown at the top.
❖Twin brambles (The Ember Crown): every twin must catch fire on the same tick, or the level is lost.
Tries, stars and hints
You have 5 tries. A try is used only when a Run fails. Winning never costs a try.
Tries come back over time: one every 30 minutes, up to 5.
Stars: 1 star for solving a level, 2 stars for solving it without a hint, 3 stars for solving it on your first Run without a hint. Replay a level to earn more stars.
Every 25 stars opens a star chest with hints or tries.
From chapter 4, each chapter also needs enough stars to open (shown on the chapter title). Replay earlier levels without hints to earn them.
Stars also unlock new flame colours in Settings.
Hints: you get one free hint every day. Each hint shows one piece of a winning plan.
Finish a chapter for +2 hints and +3 tries. Get 3 stars on every level in a chapter for a Perfect medal and +5 hints.
Daily Challenge
One hard puzzle a day, the same for everyone. A new one starts at midnight UTC.
You get one attempt. The clock starts when you press Start and stops when you press Run.
The leaderboard ranks everyone who solved it, fastest first.
After your attempt, share your result with friends using Share, Copy or WhatsApp.
If the fire beats you, you can see one winning plan.
Play every day to build a streak. If you miss one day, a free streak freeze (one a week) keeps it going.
Questions
My house burned, but the fire never touched it. Why?
Check the wind: it carries fire two tiles downwind, over gaps and firebreaks. Dry brush also catches diagonally, oil reaches all 8 tiles around it, and burrows send fire out of their twin.
Is there only one solution?
No. Any plan that burns every bramble and saves every house wins. Some levels have only a few winning plans, which is what makes them hard.
Do I have to use all my firebreaks?
No. The number shown is the most you can place. But on most levels you will need all of them.
Why can't I put a firebreak on a tree?
Firebreaks go on grass and brush only. Trees, water and rock cannot hold one.
How do I remove a piece?
Tap it again. Undo takes back your last change and Clear removes everything.
A Run failed. What went wrong?
After a failed Run the board shows the burned houses and the brambles that did not burn. Press Back to my plan, change it and Run again.
What does "tick" mean?
One step of the fire. Speed only changes how fast you watch it, not what happens.
Is my progress saved?
Yes, on this device. To keep it across devices, sign in with Google in Settings: your progress is then saved to your account. You can delete your account in Settings at any time.
Can I watch a Run again?
Yes. After a failed Run, drag the Replay slider under the board to see the fire tick by tick and find where it went wrong.
Can I challenge a friend?
After you solve a level, tap Challenge a friend. Your friend gets a link to the same level and sees how many stars you got.
Do you collect my data?
Only if you agree (you are asked once, and can change it in Settings), we keep anonymous play-test stats: a random player id, the level, the result and the time taken. If you sign in with Google, we store your Google account id, your first name and your game progress, nothing else. Your leaderboard name is shown only if you play the Daily Challenge.
How do I change the language or art style?
Open Settings (⚙) in the game. The language menu is also at the top of this page. Settings also has a colour-blind mode, reduced motion and larger text.