HOW TO PLAY / FIELD NOTES
POCKET GULP: a better route from paper cups to the skyline
Choose a useful cluster, let the objects fall all the way in, and turn the next street into your next growth step.
- Devices
- Desktop · Tablet · Phone
- Players
- Single player
- Language & sound
- English / 中文 · Starts muted
Is this your kind of game?
For players who enjoy a miniature city, visible physical reactions and a short race against local AI—or a quiet city to clear at their own pace.
Controls at a glance
WASD or arrow keys move on desktop. Phones and tablets use the bottom-right proportional joystick; phones favor portrait and also support landscape. P/Esc pauses; M switches sound. Swallowing happens through movement, without an attack button.
Begin with a cluster, not the biggest object
Your starting area has a group of small objects you can already swallow. Move through cups, cones and parcels first, then look at the next-target hint. A nearby dense group often grows your hole more efficiently than a long trip toward one impressive object.
An object must lose its support and fall below the ground before it adds mass. Slow the joystick or stay under a difficult object briefly. Driving away while it is still balanced can let it recover instead of counting as a successful swallow.
Read the shape of the object
Long thin objects can tip into a hole even when they are tall. Cars and buildings need more room; brushing a corner does not collect the whole object. Reposition if a piece is still on the rim rather than expecting an undersized hole to drag it around.
The hole grows continuously. Its visible radius and logical swallowing radius are the same. A larger object becomes available because the hole fits it, not because you bought an upgrade or reached a separate level gate.
Compete without losing the whole run
The city race lasts two and a half minutes against seven local AI holes. Current mass determines the ranking. A larger hole can swallow a rival once at least 30% of the smaller hole’s area stays overlapped continuously for 0.25 seconds; full coverage is no longer required. Glancing overlaps below that area threshold never start the timer, and dropping below it resets contact. At equal size you move slightly faster than AI rivals, which helps with repositioning.
After being swallowed you return nearby, retaining most of your mass. A visible protection period prevents immediately being swallowed again, and it also prevents swallowing rivals. The transferred mass comes from the defeated hole rather than being created as a bonus.
Choose your next kind of city
Free roam removes rival holes and the timer, so you can focus on clearing a scene. Theme challenges give a collection or landmark goal; select the unlocked challenge before starting. Each map has its own street structure as well as a new seeded object arrangement.
AI difficulty changes target selection, reactions and route choices. It does not give opponents extra movement speed, bigger swallowing reach or free mass. The colours you unlock are cosmetic too.
Progress & backups
Records, colours, challenge progress and the current run are stored in this browser. The entire simulation pauses in the background. Use the local encrypted export before changing devices; import checks and previews the backup before replacing progress. There is no account, cloud synchronization or global leaderboard.
Language follows this portal. To change it, choose EN / 中文 here and open the game again. Each visit starts with sound off; enable it in the game if you want audio.
Ready for a run?
You might also explore: SKYWARD · All guides
Found an outdated instruction or a control issue? Send the game name, device and steps to reproduce it to brucexiamh@gmail.com.