Pulse
Also known as Reaction Game
Cells light up across a grid and you tap them before they fade. Hollow ones are decoys — hitting one ends the run, so part of the game is not tapping. The grid quickens with every cell you catch, and decoys get commoner the harder the tier.
How it works
- Tap each filled cell before its light fades.
- Hollow cells are decoys. Hitting one ends the run — let them fade on their own.
- A cell still growing can't be tapped, so reacting early costs you nothing.
- The grid quickens with every cell you catch, and decoys get commoner on the harder tiers.
- Let two lit cells fade and the round ends — ignoring the grid is not a way to survive it.
- Your score is the cells caught. Hitting a decoy ends the run outright.
Good if you want…
- Reflexes with a catch
- Restraint as much as speed
- A very short round
How to get better at Pulse
Filled means tap, hollow means wait
Filled cells are the ones to catch; hollow cells are decoys, and touching one ends the run. Train yourself to check the fill before you tap. Missing a filled cell is survivable once; tapping a decoy never is.
Reacting early is free
A cell that is still growing cannot be tapped, so tapping a filled cell a little too soon costs you nothing. Aim for cells as they appear rather than waiting until they are fully lit, and you will have more time for the next one.
Do not ignore the grid
Letting two lit cells fade ends the round, so standing back to avoid decoys is not a strategy. The skill is doing both at once: catching every filled cell while leaving every hollow one alone.
Choosing a speed
The tiers change how long a lit cell stays catchable, how quickly new cells appear, how many can be lit at once and how often a decoy turns up. On the gentlest tier a single cell lights at a time and about one in six is a decoy; on the hardest, up to three can be lit together and a third of them are decoys. The mix of restraint and speed is different at each tier, which is what makes them worth playing separately.
Keep your finger central
Resting your finger near the middle of the grid between taps shortens the distance to any cell. After each catch, drift back towards the centre rather than leaving your finger where the last cell was. On the busier tiers that small head start is the difference between catching two cells lit at once and losing one.
Glance before you commit
The decoys are hollow rather than filled, and at speed that difference is easy to miss. Build a tiny habit: look, then tap. It costs a fraction of a second, and because a growing cell cannot be tapped too early, there is time for it.
Common mistakes
- Tapping everything that appears. Decoys get commoner on the harder tiers.
- Hesitating over a filled cell. Early taps are safe.
Pulse questions
How is Pulse scored?
By the number of cells caught. Hitting a decoy ends the run outright.
What are the hollow cells?
Decoys. Let them fade on their own.
Pulse in Winters Puzzles
Pulse is one of 40 puzzles in Winters Puzzles, so it sits alongside Runner, Tower Stack, Threader and everything else in the app rather than being a download of its own. It counts towards your stats and streak like any other puzzle. It is not one of the puzzle types included in Pip’s dailies.
Play Pulse.
Free on iPhone and iPad, with 39 other puzzles alongside it. Or play it in your browser — no download, nothing to sign up for.
