Skyscraper

Arcade · 1 player

How to play

The skyline is full of empty lots and the crane is yours. Release the sliding or swinging floor at exactly the right moment: whatever hangs over the edge is sliced off and falls, a dead-on drop keeps the floor whole, and a streak of perfect drops widens it again. As you climb, the sun sets, windows light up, and you rise above the clouds and into space. Every building you finish joins your city; complete all 24, from the Harbour to the Summit.

1. 1Tap the screen or press Space when the hanging floor is right above the tower; the floor drops.
2. 2Any part hanging past the floor below is sliced off and the tower gets narrower. A dead-on drop counts as PERFECT and nothing is cut.
3. 3From the third perfect in a row, every perfect drop widens the floor a little.
4. 4Miss the tower completely and you lose a life; lose all three and the building stays unfinished.
5. 5Reach the target height and the building joins your city. Never missing and landing enough perfects earn stars.

About Skyscraper

Skyscraper is a minimal but unforgiving timing game in which a single tap carries the whole experience. The floor swinging from the crane is released either too early or too late, and the narrow moment in between decides the fate of your tower. Any overhang is sliced off and tumbles away, so each small mistake also shrinks the next floor; errors stack up until the building can become a thin needle. On the other hand, a run of perfect drops widens a narrowing tower again and hands you a second chance.

The changing sky is what makes the climb memorable. Construction starts in daylight, moves through sunset into a night of glowing windows, rises above the clouds and finally reaches space. Every finished building in the Harbour, Bazaar, Centre and Summit districts joins your skyline, so the row from the first waterfront house to the Summit Tower shows exactly how far you have come. Floor styles such as concrete, glass, brick, tower and gold unlock as you complete more buildings.

Beyond the buildings there are two extra modes: a daily task with a fresh goal each day and an endless tower with no ceiling. It works just as well for a two-minute break as for patient players chasing a record height, and it rewards a sense of rhythm more than raw reflexes.

Strategy and tips

• Watch the edge of the floor below, not the swinging floor itself. Releasing the instant the moving edge lines up with that edge is far more accurate than judging by the centre of the block.
• In the Harbour the floor slides at a constant speed, but from the Bazaar onward some buildings use a swinging crane instead. A swinging floor is fastest right above the tower and slowest at the ends, so count your rhythm from the slow turnarounds.
• If you lose a slice, stay calm. Once you chain three perfects, each further perfect drop widens the floor, so the way to rescue a thin tower is a steady streak rather than hurried taps.
• Stars require both zero misses and enough perfect drops. Play carefully when you only want to finish a building, and keep a consistent rhythm when you go hunting for stars.
• You can switch the floor style with F or the button in the top-left corner. Some styles show their edges more clearly, so pick the one that is easiest on your eyes during the night and space stages.
• The daily task asks for a floor count and a number of perfects, and a short attempt each day keeps your streak going. The endless tower is a good warm-up area for finding your timing.

Frequently asked questions

How many buildings are there, and when does it end?

There are twenty-four buildings across four districts. Completing them all finishes your skyline, while the endless tower and the daily task keep the game open afterwards.

What happens when I run out of lives?

Missing a floor completely costs one life. After three, that building stays unfinished and you start it again, but buildings already added to your city remain in place.

Are my city and records kept?

Yes. Finished buildings, unlocked styles, achievements, your endless tower record and your daily streak are saved in this browser.

Does it work on a phone?

Very well, since the whole game is one tap: touching anywhere on the screen drops the floor.