One Step Late
Rate itYour shadow copies your last move, one step late: get you to the sun and it to the moon at once.
on arkai.win
One Step Late is a daily movement puzzle on the Arkai games site. You step where you choose, but your shadow repeats the move you made the turn before, and it will walk straight into holes you avoid. The aim is to land yourself on the sun and your shadow on the moon at the same moment, within par.
About One Step Late
One Step Late is one of the daily logic puzzles on Arkai, a free browser games site, and has been running since September 2026. Each board is a small grid with blocks, holes, a sun and a moon. You move up, down, left or right, and your shadow then makes the move you made on the previous turn. An arrow on the shadow shows its next step and turns red when that step leads into a hole.
You can see the holes and never walk into them, but your shadow cannot, and it follows you straight in if its delayed move takes it there. When that happens the move that sent it is taken back, and both moves still count. Walls, the edge of the board and each other block you both. You win when you stand on the sun and your shadow stands on the moon at the same time, and you earn a star by matching the par, the fewest moves possible.
Every day there are three new boards, Easy, Medium and Hard, numbered by day and the same for everyone, and they turn over at your local midnight. Solving all three keeps a streak going. You can share a result that does not spoil the board, and earlier days stay playable from the arrows beside the day on the title screen or from the archive, though they do not count toward the streak. It plays with the keyboard (arrows or WASD, U to undo, R to restart), by swiping or tapping toward a cell, or with the mouse, with no download or sign-up.
It suits players who like Sokoban-style planning and puzzles where one rule changes everything.
How to play One Step Late
- Open One Step Late and tap or press Space to open today's three boards.
- Pick Easy, Medium or Hard; the par for each is shown on its tab.
- Move one cell at a time with the arrows, WASD, a swipe or a tap toward a cell; your shadow then repeats your previous move.
- Watch the arrow on your shadow and steer so its delayed step does not take it into a hole.
- Finish with you on the sun and your shadow on the moon at the same moment, and match the par for a star.
Screenshots
Tips
- Plan in pairs of moves: each step you take is the step your shadow takes next turn.
- Work backwards from the end: picture where your shadow must be one move before you reach the sun.
- Undo and restart do not give moves back, so think a line through before you start moving.
- A wall can hold one of you still while the other moves: use blocks to fix the gap between you and your shadow.
Questions
Are the boards the same for everyone?
Yes. There are three new boards every day, Easy, Medium and Hard, the same for all players.
When do new boards appear?
At midnight in your own time zone; the boards are numbered by day from the launch on 16 September 2026.
Can I play missed days?
Yes. Every earlier day stays playable from the title screen or the archive, but those days do not count toward your streak.
What is par?
The fewest moves the board can be solved in. Undo and restart do not give moves back, so matching par means solving it cleanly.
Ratings and reviews
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