Bumper 2 Bumper: Our Sliding Car Puzzle Is On the Way
A first look at Bumper 2 Bumper, our 3D sliding car puzzle: slide cars and trucks to free the hot dog cart, beat par for three stars. Coming soon to HulaGames.
Bumper 2 Bumper is a 3D sliding car puzzle, and it’s coming soon to HulaGames. The parking lot is packed, your hot dog cart is stuck in the middle, and the only way out is to slide cars and trucks along their lanes until the path to the gate is clear. Do it in as few moves as possible, and you’ll earn three stars.
It isn’t playable yet. This first look covers how the game will play, based on our design spec and the build so far.
The sliding car puzzle in one picture
Picture a small parking lot, six spaces by six. The exit gate is on the right side. Your hero, a hot dog cart (yes, a giant hot dog on wheels), sits in the row that leads to the gate. Between the cart and freedom: a jam of sedans, taxis, buses and delivery trucks.
You can’t lift anything or turn anything. You can only slide. That’s what makes it a puzzle.
How it will play
The rules
- The lot is a 6x6 grid with an exit gate in the right wall.
- Cars take two spaces. Trucks take three.
- Each vehicle is either horizontal or vertical and only slides along its own lane. Horizontal vehicles go left and right; vertical ones go up and down. Nothing turns, and nothing passes through anything else.
- Your hot dog cart sits in the exit row. When the path is clear, slide it to the gate and it drives out.
- One move = one vehicle slid any distance in one direction.
There’s no fail state. Every level can be solved, and the only question is how efficiently you do it.
The controls
You’ll be able to play three ways:
- Drag a vehicle along its lane with a finger or the mouse.
- Tap a vehicle, then tap where it should go.
- Use the keyboard to pick a vehicle and slide it.
Undo as often as you like, Reset to start over, and press Hint to see which vehicle to move next.
Honest par and three stars
Here’s the part we’re proudest of. Every level in Bumper 2 Bumper is made by the game’s own generator and solved by computer. So par is the true fewest moves, not a rough estimate.
That makes stars meaningful:
| Result | Stars |
|---|---|
| Solve at par or better | Three |
| Solve within one and a half times par | Two |
| Solve it at all | One |
Since par is the real minimum, three stars means you found a perfect solution.
The game also counts moves the fair way. If you slide the same vehicle twice in a row, those count as one move, just like the solver counts them. So adjusting a car you just moved won’t cost you anything extra.
Difficulty that comes from thinking, not clutter
Difficulty is planned to come from par and from how much of the jam you have to understand. As the levels get harder, you’ll go from a few obvious blockers to:
- moving a vehicle “the wrong way” first to make room,
- long chains where one move unlocks the next,
- a truck that has to move twice before the path clears.
Levels are also cleaned up so they don’t look busy for no reason. Vehicles that play no part in the solution are mostly removed, so what’s on the board is there for a reason.
Hints that know where you are
Hints come from the same solver, so they show the true next best move from your current position, not from the start. If you’ve wandered into a tangle, the hint still works from there.
Why a hot dog cart?
Puzzles like this usually give you a plain car to rescue. We wanted a hero you’d spot in a heartbeat. Nothing else on the board has the hot dog cart’s shape, so you can always find it without relying on color.
That idea carries through the rest of the design. A planned high-contrast setting adds a bold symbol to the roof of each vehicle, so colorblind players never have to tell vehicles apart by color alone.
Four places to park
The puzzles are the same everywhere, but the scenery changes. Lots are planned at the Beach, Downtown, a Farm and a Ski lodge, all drawn in 3D with low-poly vehicles and little touches of life around the edges.
Daily Drive and Unlimited
Like our other daily puzzles, Bumper 2 Bumper is planned to have a Daily Drive puzzle, the same for everyone, plus Unlimited play for when one puzzle isn’t enough. If you enjoy daily puzzles, Tiki Tiles has a Daily board you can play today, and Queens & Cats is another daily puzzle on the way.
Get a head start
Want to be ready on day one? Our guide on how to solve sliding block puzzles teaches the techniques that work in any traffic-jam puzzle, including a worked example on a 6x6 lot.
When can you play?
Bumper 2 Bumper is in development. The puzzle board works, and the menus and level select are still being built. We don’t have a launch date yet. Keep an eye on its game page and our full games list for news.
FAQ
Can I play Bumper 2 Bumper yet?
Not yet. Bumper 2 Bumper is in development. The puzzle board works, and the menus and level select are still being built.
How do you win a level in Bumper 2 Bumper?
Slide the other vehicles out of the way until the hot dog cart can reach the gate. Cars and trucks only slide along their own lanes.
What is par in Bumper 2 Bumper?
Par is the true fewest moves needed to solve a level, worked out by a computer solver. Finish at par or better for three stars, or within one and a half times par for two.
Will Bumper 2 Bumper have a daily puzzle?
Yes, that’s the plan. A Daily Drive puzzle and Unlimited play are planned.
