Station Shuffle A free passenger sort puzzle at a bus station
Tap commuters with a clear path to the platform and match each one to the bus of their colour. Mind the five bench slots.
About Station Shuffle
The station is packed, the buses are queuing up, and everyone wants a seat. Station Shuffle is a relaxing but sneaky sorting puzzle: tap a commuter who has a clear walk to the platform and they waddle over to the bus at the stop. If their coat matches the bus colour they hop on. If it does not, they wait on one of just five bench slots. Fill a bus with three riders and it rolls away with a squeak while the next one pulls in, and everyone on the bench with the right colour boards on their own.
The twist is the order. Buses arrive in a fixed line that you can see, so the whole level is a puzzle of timing: who do you send now, who can wait on the bench, and who is stuck behind whom? Free the wrong person and the bench fills up with colours that will not be needed for ages. Free the right one and a chain of buses clears in a single tap. If the benches are full and nobody who can walk fits the bus at the stop, the shift is over, so plan a few buses ahead.
The game teaches by doing. The first level is one colour and three taps. The second shows what the bench is for. After that the station gets busier one new idea at a time: masked commuters whose colour is only revealed once they have a path, tunnels that send more passengers up from below the platform when the way is clear, and VIPs who refuse to wait on a bench and only walk when their own bus is at the stop. Every colour also carries its own shape (circle, square, triangle, star, diamond or heart) so the puzzle works for everyone.
Every level is checked by a solver before you ever see it, so there are no unwinnable stations and no luck involved, only planning. Earn three stars by getting through with as few bench slots as the best possible plan. Stuck? Three boosters are always on hand: undo your last tap, shuffle the colours on the floor into a layout that can still be won, or add two extra bench slots. Run out and a short rewarded video earns you one more, entirely your choice. A new daily shift gives you a fresh seeded station every day and pays out a booster of each kind, and when the story levels run out the endless shifts keep coming, each a little busier than the last.
Sessions are short and sit well in a coffee break or a commute, and your progress is saved on this device and to your account when you are signed in.
How to play
Tap a commuter who has a clear path to the top of the station floor. They walk to the bus at the stop if their coat colour matches it, otherwise they wait on a bench slot. A bus leaves with three riders, then the next bus pulls in and matching commuters on the bench board it. You lose when all the bench slots are full and nobody who can walk fits the bus. On a keyboard, move the highlight with the arrow keys or WASD, press Space or Enter to tap, and use 1, 2 and 3 for undo, shuffle and extra bench. P or Esc pauses and M mutes.
Controls and devices
- Controls: Touch, Mouse, Keyboard
- Works on: phones, tablets and computers
- Screen: portrait orientation
- Price: free, no download or sign-up
FAQ
- Is every level winnable?
- Yes. A solver proves that every journey level, daily shift and endless level can be won before you play it. The shuffle booster only gives you a new arrangement that the solver can still win.
- How do the three stars work?
- Three stars if you never need more bench slots than the best possible plan, two stars for one slot more, and one star for any clear. Using the extra bench booster caps a level at two stars.
- What do masked commuters, tunnels and VIPs do?
- Masked commuters show their real colour as soon as they have a clear path. A tunnel sends its next passenger onto the floor whenever the cell in front of it is empty. A VIP never waits on the bench and only walks when their bus is at the stop.
- What do the boosters do and how do I get more?
- Undo takes back your last tap, shuffle re-deals the colours on the floor into a winnable layout, and extra bench adds two bench slots for the level. You earn more by getting three stars and by finishing the daily shift, or by watching a short video when you choose to.
- Does my progress save?
- Yes. Your level, stars and boosters are saved on this device, and to your account when you are signed in.
Credits
- Game design, code, art and sound: Playora Games