NEW OLD GAMER

How to play guide

An original game made for fun. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the makers of any other game.

Fireflock screenshot

Fireflock

Carry the light. Wake the garden.

▶ Play Fireflock

Free · plays in your browser on phone or PC · no ads in the game

What is Fireflock?

Fireflock is a quiet game about light. You carry a lantern through a night garden, a swarm of fireflies follows its glow, and each sleeping blossom opens once enough fireflies gather around it. There is no clock, nothing can be lost, and you can wander as long as you like. Stars at the end of a garden are just a friendly way to keep track of what you found.

How to play

Drag a finger or the mouse to carry the lantern; the fireflies drift after it. A quick tap calls the whole flock in close. Every blossom shows two small numbers: how many fireflies are around it now, and how many it needs. Lead the flock to a blossom, wait a moment, and it blooms. Wake every blossom to finish the garden.

Stars

Each garden can give up to three stars: one for waking every blossom, one for finding the hidden moon blossom (a shy extra bloom that some gardens hide), and one for bringing the whole flock home. Sixteen gardens make 48 stars in all, and your best total is what the high score board counts.

The gardens

The gardens run through seven places, each with its own look and its own music: Dusk Meadow, Whisper Woods with its winding creek, Glimmer Cave with a glowing lake and waterfalls, Rainy Pond with lily pads and two lanterns, Spring Storm with puddles and gusting wind, Dawn Hilltop, and The Great Bloom. The rain, the creek and the wind are all made up of many small sounds, so nothing loops in an obvious way. Music starts switched off; turn it on from the menu if you want it.

Settling fireflies

From the fifth garden on, you can hold the lantern still beside a blossom and some fireflies will settle there and keep it glowing. Settled fireflies stay lit, so you can move on with the rest of the flock. Tap beside the blossom to call them back when you need everyone.

Chain blooms

From the seventh garden on, a blossom that opens sends a ripple of light to its neighbours and lowers the number they need. Faint threads show which blossoms can help each other. Waking the small ones first often makes the big ones easy.

Controls

Touch: drag to move the lantern and tap to call the flock. Mouse: the same, with click and drag. Keyboard: arrow keys or W, A, S and D move the lantern. A fullscreen button is there if you want it, and the game works fine without it. Your finished gardens are saved on your own device.

Tips

If you get stuck

A blossom will not open
It needs more fireflies than are close by. Tap beside it to call the flock in, or wake a neighbour first to lower its number.
The flock keeps drifting off
Slow the lantern down. Fireflies follow the glow, and a steady light holds them closer.
You cannot find the moon blossom
Not every garden has one. Where there is one, it waits in a quiet part of the garden, so sweep the lantern slowly along the edges.

Developer's notes

We wanted a game that is pleasant to open for five minutes at the end of a long day. That meant no timers, no way to fail, no daily tasks and nothing to buy. The pictures and sounds change from garden to garden so every place feels different. Ideas for new gardens or changes are welcome through the ✎ button in the game.

Recent changes

The full list is on our What's new page.

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