Echo Sounding (Arkai)
Rate itPing cells of a hidden grid, read the distance to the nearest reflector, and find them all.
on arkai.win

Echo Sounding is a daily deduction puzzle on Arkai. A grid hides a few reflectors; ping any cell and you learn only how many steps it is to the nearest one. Narrow them down with a handful of pings, mark them, and check, aiming to stay within par. Three grids a day, the same for everyone.
About Echo Sounding (Arkai)
Echo Sounding is one of the daily deduction puzzles on Arkai, a small portal of free browser games that run with no account, no advertising and no third-party code. It went up on 21 September 2026.
Each day there are three grids, Easy, Medium and Hard, worked out from the date so every player gets the same ones. Easy is 6 by 6 with two hidden reflectors, Medium 7 by 7 with three, and Hard 8 by 8 with four. When you ping a cell, the grid answers with a single number: how many steps up, down and across it is from that cell to the nearest reflector. A zero means you hit one.
You switch to marking mode to place reflectors where the numbers say they must be, then press Check. Every ping costs one point and a wrong check costs two, and each grid has a par worked out by Arkai's own solver. Any set of marks the grid cannot tell apart from the real one counts as solved. Results can be shared without spoilers, a streak counts the days you play, and every earlier day stays playable from the arrows on the title screen.
It plays like a calm game of sonar: few rules, quick rounds, and each ping chosen to split the remaining possibilities. It suits players who like Minesweeper-style reasoning with fewer clicks, and it works with a mouse, a keyboard or touch.
How to play Echo Sounding (Arkai)
- Open Echo Sounding and press Play, or choose today's Easy, Medium or Hard grid.
- Tap a cell to ping it and read the distance, in steps up, down and across, to the nearest reflector.
- Use the numbers to work out where the reflectors must be.
- Switch to Mark mode and mark each reflector's cell; marks cost nothing.
- Press Check when every reflector is marked, aiming to stay within the par.
Screenshots

Tips
- Ping near the centre first: its number rules out a ring of cells in every direction, where a corner ping only rules out one side.
- Two pings with the same number often pin a reflector to where their diamonds cross.
- The number is to the nearest reflector only, so a small number can hide others further away.
- On a keyboard, arrows or WASD move the cursor, Space pings or marks, and M switches mode.
Questions
Is it the same puzzle for everyone?
Yes, the three daily grids are built from the date, so every player gets the same ones.
How is distance measured?
In steps up, down and across added together, not in a straight line or diagonally.
Can I play earlier days?
Yes, the arrows beside the day on the title screen open every earlier day, though those do not count toward your streak.
Does Echo Sounding have ads?
No. Arkai's games run with no ads, no account and no third-party code.
Ratings and reviews
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