The input list is short. The trade is not: the control that walks you is the control that makes you easy to see.
Short version: Drag, or hold WASD or the arrow keys, to move. You are exposed the whole time a control is held. Release every control to stop and let Camo rise. Esc or P pauses. The speaker button mutes. There is no jump, no attack and no second stick.
The Control Table
| Input | Action | What the Seekers see |
|---|---|---|
| Mouse drag or one-finger drag | Walk toward the pointer | Exposed while the button or finger is down, even if you stop moving |
| Release | Stop. Camo starts to fill | Visibility falls only as the blend finishes, about three quarters of a second |
| WASD or arrow keys | Walk on that axis. Diagonals are allowed | Same exposure as a drag, for as long as any movement key is held |
| Esc or P, or the pause button | Pause during Hide or Seek | The field freezes. Resume continues the same life |
| Speaker button | Mute or unmute | Nothing. Sound is local and optional |
| Enter or Space on the title | Start a run | Only on the title screen. During Seek, Space does not move you |
| Quit on the pause card | Return to the title stroll | The run ends |
Pointer and Touch
The arena listens to a single pointer. Put it down inside the canvas and the character walks toward that point at a steady pace. Move the pointer and the destination moves with it. Lift, and the walk ends at once.
On a phone, the lift has to be a real lift. A finger resting on the glass still counts as held, so Camo will not climb. Players who "stop" by only ceasing to slide feel cheated by the Seekers, but the Seekers are applying the rule.
Touch the canvas, not the meters. If a browser gesture steals the drag, open the full-screen field so the arena owns the viewport. See play Mottle Game online.
Keyboard
W, A, S, D and the arrow keys share one vector. Holding two neighbours walks on the diagonal at the same top speed, not faster. Camo begins only when no movement key is held and the pointer is up.
Click into the arena once before you rely on pause, because the browser only sends keys to the focused frame.
What the Meters Ask
- Camo is the percentage of the blend. It is not a shield you activate. It drains within a fraction of a second once you steer.
- Alert is the life bar in disguise. It rises when a cone sees enough of you, faster if you are brighter or two cones overlap, and decays when they do not.
- Hearts are lives. You start a run with three.
- The round number and seek timer tell you how long this garden has to be endured. During Hide the timer shows the countdown instead.
Sound and What Is Absent
Sound is generated in the browser. Collect, blend, a catch, a round clear and the last seconds of the clock each have a small tone. Mute is remembered on this device. There is no music stream, no fullscreen button inside the HUD, no separate hide button and no way to push a Seeker. A control list online that mentions those is describing a different game.
If a key or drag feels wrong, check three things: is the round still in Hide, is pause up, and is a finger or button still down? For route choices once the controls feel natural, read the tips and strategy notes.