Cordon, a retro arcade game
WALL OFF 80 % OF THE FIELD
An arcade game for Mac, iPhone and iPad. Build walls out from the edge, trap the swirl and claim the field before it cuts your line.
- NO ACCOUNT
- NO ADS
- NO TRACKING
- 9 LANGUAGES
NEW: A GAME FOR TWO
Two players build walls in the same field and claim it together; when their walls meet, they close as one. Play together on one Mac's keyboard, on two devices side by side, or over the internet with Game Center.
Your first game for two is free. After that it's a one-time in-app purchase for all your devices, and a friend who has it can invite you for free.
HOW TO PLAY
BUILD WALLS
Hold Shift and move off the edge (on iPhone and iPad, hold a finger on the right half of the screen). Bring the wall back to an edge to close it. Stand still and a fuse starts burning after you.
CLAIM 80 %
Close a wall and the side without the swirl is yours. Claim 80 % of the field to clear the level, and every percent more is a bonus.
TIME IT
The multiplier runs from ×1 to ×25 and back, and sets how many points a finished wall earns. Close your walls at the right moment. Every 100,000 points earns you an extra life.
WATCH OUT
THE SWIRL
A spinning bundle of sticks. Harmless on the edge, deadly to a wall you haven't finished.
WORMS
They crawl along the edges of your territory, faster the longer a level takes.
THE FUSE
Stop while building and it lights up. It burns along your wall until you close it, and it catches you if you stop again.
THE SPARK
A star flies across the field and bounces off the walls like a billiard ball. Deadly to an unfinished wall; wall it off for a bonus.
SPLITTING SWIRLS
A swirl you cut off comes back as two smaller, quicker ones, and once half the field is yours a big one splits by itself.
THE BLACK HOLE
Its gravity bends your wall towards it. Its core swallows a wall that reaches it; wall it off and it collapses for a huge bonus.
IN THE BOX
MAC, IPHONE, IPAD
Play with a keyboard, the touch screen or a game controller. The tutorial teaches you everything in your first game.
NINE LANGUAGES
From Czech to Korean, in a pixel font made for all of them.
CGA COLORS
Four colours, like a PC in 1984. Try them on this page.
HIGH SCORES
Enter your name like at the arcade. Send your games online if you like.
SHARE
A picture of your result, ready for Messages, Mail, AirDrop or social networks.
CHIPTUNE MUSIC
In the style of old sound chips: a different piece for each of the first ten levels, faster level by level.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Twenty achievements, 1,000 points in all, in Game Center and on the game's own Achievements page. The first ones come on their own, three take real skill, four come with the pickups and the black hole, two with playing day after day, and the last two in the game for two.
First Wall
Close your first wall.
10 POINTS
Quick Study
Play the tutorial through to the real game.
10 POINTS
Level 1 Cleared
Clear level 1.
20 POINTS
Level 5 Cleared
Clear level 5.
50 POINTS
Top Multiplier
Close a wall at ×25.
30 POINTS
Land Grab
Claim 30 % of the field with a single wall.
40 POINTS
Ninety Per Cent
Clear a level with 90 % of the field or more.
50 POINTS
Flawless
Clear a level without losing a life.
50 POINTS
Close Call
Close a wall while its fuse is burning.
30 POINTS
Deep Run
Clear level 10.
100 POINTS
Millionaire
Score 1,000,000 points in one game.
100 POINTS
Perfect Timing
Close three walls at ×25 in one level.
100 POINTS
Bonus!
Collect your first pickup.
10 POINTS
Double Top
Close a wall at ×25 with double points: ×50.
75 POINTS
Saved by the Shield
Let the shield take a hit that would cost a life.
20 POINTS
Event Horizon
Wall off a black hole and make it collapse.
100 POINTS
A Week in a Row
Play a game on seven days in a row.
50 POINTS
On the Rise
Play five days in a row, each better than the day before.
75 POINTS
Better Together
Clear a level in a game for two.
30 POINTS
Hand in Hand
Join your two walls into one in a game for two.
50 POINTS
HIGH SCORES
7 PLAYERS
EASY
No scores yet. The first game online takes the top spot.
NORMAL
| # | NAME | SCORE | LEVEL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | MICHAL | 0432930 | L5 |
| 2. | FLAMINGKID | 0190981 | L3 |
| 3. | MICHAL | 0155477 | L3 |
| 4. | ADAMNKILLA | 0077523 | L2 |
| 5. | ABDULHAMI2 | 0070102 | L2 |
| 6. | MONSTERTEX | 0000663 | L1 |
| 7. | CJ | 0000168 | L1 |
HARD
No scores yet. The first game online takes the top spot.
To join, turn on Online high scores in the game's settings. Each difficulty has its own table; each name appears once in it, with its best game.
ALL HIGH SCORESQUESTIONS
Is Cordon free?
Yes. The whole game for one player is free, with nothing to unlock. The only thing you can buy is the game for two, and your first game for two is free as well.
Are there ads or tracking?
No. Cordon has no ads, no tracking and no account. Your games stay on your device unless you turn on online high scores, are signed in to Game Center or play a game for two on two devices.
Does it work offline?
Yes. On your own you need no internet connection, and games you send to the online high scores wait on your device until you're online again. A game for two over the internet needs a connection; side by side, the two devices find each other over the local network or Bluetooth.
Does it stop music from other apps?
No. On iPhone and iPad, music or a podcast from another app keeps playing: Cordon's own music steps aside and its sound effects play along. In silent mode the game is quiet.
What does the game for two cost?
Your first game for two is free. After that it's a one-time in-app purchase for all your devices, US$1.99 in the United States (the App Store shows the price in your currency), with no subscription. A friend who has it can invite you for free.
Can two people play on one iPhone or iPad?
No. On iPhone and iPad each player needs their own device: play side by side or over the internet, on any mix of iPhone, iPad and Mac. On one Mac two can share the keyboard, one on the arrows and right Shift, the other on WASD and left Shift, or one of you on a game controller.
Can I play with a game controller?
Yes, on iPhone, iPad and Mac: move with the D-pad or left stick and hold A to build. Controllers that rumble, such as Xbox and DualSense ones, rumble as your walls close.
Which devices does it run on?
iPhone and iPad with iOS 17 or later, and Macs with macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon or Intel.