SPECIMEN 88 · 20 × 36
Need a hand, found a bug or have an idea?
Email us any time. We read every message and usually reply within a couple of days.
hello@playossify.comHow do I play?
Swipe (or use the arrow keys) to steer. Eat to grow, then shed: your tail sets where it stood and becomes permanent wall. Tap HOW TO PLAY on the start screen for the full rundown and GOOD TO KNOW inside it for the glossary, burial ranks and colour themes.
What makes it different from classic Snake?
Your tail doesn't follow you. When you shed length, your body sets where it stands and hardens into permanent wall. The board keeps that wall across runs, so you are building one fortress until it closes over you. A finished fortress travels as a link for other players to dig. No other snake game keeps your history on the board.
Is this just Snake with a twist?
It's a snake game with one rule changed and the change is total. Your tail doesn't follow you: it sets where it stood and becomes permanent wall. The fortress, the digging, the ending. Everything new falls out of that one rule.
Has a snake game done this before?
Walls you leave behind go back to Blockade (1976) and the Tron light cycles. There the trail lasted one round and leaving it was automatic. In Ossify the stone survives every run and every death on the same board and shedding is a choice you make. They gave you a trail. Ossify gives you a history.
What happens when I die?
The board keeps every wall you laid. Tap CONTINUE and you respawn on the same board, run after run, until your own stone closes over you. That ending is FORTRESS COMPLETE: you built it and it is the trophy.
What happened to the daily board?
The game changed. There is no daily puzzle any more: you build one persistent fortress across many runs and when it is finished you can send it to anyone as a link. One persistent world on your device, built run by run. Your old bests are still stored on your device.
Can I play with friends?
Yes. A finished fortress travels as a link from the game. A friend who pastes it on the start screen digs inside the world you built, where your stone is their wall.
How do I share my fortress or dig a friend's?
When a dig ends, SHARE puts a link to your finished board on the clipboard. Anyone who opens it digs inside the world you built, where your stone is their wall. To dig a friend's board, paste their link into DIG SOMEONE ELSE'S BOARD on the start screen.
Is Ossify free?
Yes. It's free on the App Store and on itch.io, with no ads, no accounts and nothing to buy.
Do I need an account or a download?
You don't need an account. On a computer it plays in your browser on itch.io. On iPhone and iPad it's a free download from the App Store.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes. Ossify is built for one thumb in portrait. It's free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. Android is coming soon.
Is there a mobile app?
Yes. Ossify is free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. Android (Google Play) is coming soon.
Can I play on iPad or in a browser?
Yes. Ossify is universal: it runs on iPhone and iPad. On a computer it plays in your browser on itch.io.
Can I change the colours or make it easier?
Yes. Tap the gear on the start screen: the LOOK row recolours the whole game and the panel also holds difficulty, a free slower pace, colour-blind patterns, one-handed pad side, sound and haptics. Accessibility options never cost you score.
How do I turn off sound or haptics?
Tap the gear on the start screen. There you can toggle sound and haptics on or off, along with reduced motion and the other options.
Does it work offline?
Yes, the game runs fully offline. A connection is only needed for the board list, likes, share links and a short run summary. With no connection you can still play everything.
Is my data private?
Yes. Ossify collects only gameplay stats, tied to a random player ID, never your name or email. No accounts, no ads, no third-party trackers. See our Privacy Policy at playossify.com/privacy.
- One board that remembers
- Every run ends. The stone stays. You build until it buries you.
- Three speeds
- Steady, Rattle, Quick. Faster pays more.
- Chains, grazes, tight coils
- A sharp run scores many times a careless one.
- One hand, one thumb
- A pad to steer. A button to shed. That's it.
- No ads
- Not one.
- No purchases
- Free everywhere. Nothing to buy.
- No account
- No sign-up, no login.
Write to hello@playossify.com with your device model and what happened. We'll help.
