Octophobia

About Octophobia

Octophobia is built on one small rule. Every cell on the board holds a number. When you click a cell it drops to 0 and stays there, and its value is added to each of its eight neighbours. A neighbour that goes past 9 wraps round, so 9 plus 3 becomes 2. If any cell ever becomes an 8, that is the evil 8, and it costs you.

The trick is to spot pairs that add up to 8: 1 and 7, 2 and 6, 3 and 5, 4 and 4, and 9 and 9, because wrapping makes 18 into 8. Clicking either cell of such a pair turns the other into an 8, so each move means checking a cell's neighbours first. The daily board is the same for everyone and always has a solution. You have a limited number of moves to clear every cell and three lives: making an 8 costs a life and the move is taken back. You can restart as often as you like.

Zen mode has no move limit. Clear a board and the next one is dealt at once, your score counts every cell you clear, and a single 8 ends the run. The daily board changes at midnight on your device, and stats and streaks stay in your browser. The game is free with no ads, with a link for players who want to support it.

How to play Octophobia

1. Look at the board and find pairs of neighbouring numbers that add up to 8, or 18.
2. Click a cell that has no such partner around it; it clears to 0 and adds its value to its eight neighbours.
3. Remember that values past 9 wrap round, so 9 plus 3 becomes 2.
4. Keep clearing cells until the whole board is 0, within the day's move limit.
5. If you make an 8 you lose a life and the move is undone; three lives in all.

Tips

• Check all eight neighbours before every click, including the diagonals.
• Do not forget the 9 and 9 pair: wrapping turns 18 into 8.
• Corner and edge cells touch fewer neighbours, so they are often the safest place to start.
• Restarts are free on the daily board, so try a line of moves and start over if it closes in.

Questions