Signpost Arrow Chain Unblocked
Every square is a signpost. Link them into one numbered chain that follows the arrows.
What is Signpost Arrow Chain?
Signpost Arrow Chain is a single-player logic puzzle on a grid of arrows. You join all the squares into a single numbered run, and whatever square follows another has to lie somewhere along that earlier square's arrow, near or far. It is finished once the entire board makes one unbroken sequence.
- Category
- Puzzle Games
- Players
- 1 player
- Plays on
- Phone, tablet & desktop
- Input
- Mouse, Keyboard, Touch
- Made by
- James Harvey and Simon Tatham
- Checked
Signpost Arrow Chain hands you a grid where every square holds an arrow and only a few hold numbers. You have to fill in the missing numbers so the board reads as one sequence from 1 to the end, and each arrow aims at its successor. That successor might be the neighbouring square or one on the far side of the grid. That freedom is what makes it tricky, and why reasoning backward pays off so well. This unblocked version is James Harvey’s Signpost from Simon Tatham’s collection, running in your browser.
Reading the Board
A grid has one square per number, so a 5x5 board holds 1 to 25. You always get the opening and closing numbers for free, and the closing square carries a star in place of an arrow. On some boards a few middle numbers are given too.
The arrow on 1 aims at 2, the arrow on 2 aims at 3, and the pattern continues. Any square on that arrow’s ray qualifies, whether the ray runs across, down or at 45 degrees. Press on a square and the game highlights every legal target, which takes the guesswork out of reading long diagonals.
Linking is done by dragging. Drag forward from a square to its successor, or right-drag backward to its predecessor. Squares you join without a number get temporary letters. The moment a lettered piece connects with a known number, all of its squares are renumbered to match. To break a square’s links, pull it off the edge of the grid.
Signpost Arrow Chain controls
| To do this | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connect a square to the one after it | Arrows to move, Enter on the first square, Enter on its successor | Left-drag from a square to its successor | Drag from a square to its successor |
| Connect a square to the one before it | Space on a square, then Space on its predecessor | Right-drag from a square to its predecessor | Press and hold then drag, or set Tap to Link backward |
| Unlink one square | — | Left-drag it off the grid | Drag it off the grid |
| Break up a whole chain | — | Right-drag any square of the chain off the grid | Press and hold, then drag off the grid |
| New puzzle, undo, redo | N, U, R | Buttons above the grid | Buttons above the grid |
A Solver’s Checklist
Run through these questions whenever you feel stuck.
- What can reach the end? The second-to-last square has to aim at the star. Frequently a single candidate does.
- Is any square reachable by just one arrow? When a square sits on the ray of exactly one other arrow, that arrow’s owner is its predecessor.
- Does an arrow see just one open target? Scan along each arrow. If it crosses only one square that still has a dot, that square is its successor.
- Can I build a loose chain? Link pieces even without numbers. A lettered chain often snaps into place the moment one end meets a known number.
- Is the numbering consistent? A chain from 7 that must reach 12 needs exactly four squares in between. Count them.
If a chain becomes tangled, right-drag any square in it off the grid and the whole chain is cleared in one go.
Sizes and Similar Puzzles
Six presets cover sizes between 4x4 and 7x7, some with free ends where the first and last squares can be anywhere, and Custom handles other sizes. Preferences let you pick a style for the victory effect. Smaller boards take a minute or two, while 7x7 free-end puzzles can hold you for much longer.
If you enjoy sequence puzzles, Number Path asks for a similar ordered route, but every step must be to a neighbouring square. Fans of arrow logic may also like Skyscraper Sightlines, where what you see along a line is the clue.
Signpost Arrow Chain: questions players ask
Can the next square in Signpost be more than one step away?
Yes. Distance doesn't matter. The following square just has to be somewhere on the arrow's ray, straight or at an exact diagonal, and anything between the two is skipped.
What do letters such as b and b+2 mean?
They label a chain you have linked before it touches any numbered square. Each loose chain gets its own letter. When the chain later joins a number, the letters change into real numbers automatically.
How do I know which squares still need a link?
A small dot in a square's lower-left corner means nothing points into it yet. Once a square has its successor linked, its arrow fades to grey. You are finished when every black arrow is linked and no dots remain.
Where are square 1 and the last square?
Normally 1 starts at the upper left and the starred final square waits at the lower right. Free-end presets let both ends sit anywhere, but they are still revealed at the start.
Credits and license
Signpost Arrow Chain was created by James Harvey and Simon Tatham and released as open source. FreezeNova hosts a lightly adapted copy on its own server, together with the original license file.
- Source code: git.tartarus.org/simon (original project)
- Code license: MIT
- Art & audio: MIT (all graphics are drawn by the game code; no images or audio)
- Our changes: We renamed it for the site and use the author's official web build with outside links taken out. It is fitted to our player and has touch dragging and press and hold added. The puzzle code is the original.
