About Deepmala
Deepmala, "a row of lamps", is a cozy logic puzzle about lighting every clay diya on a rangoli courtyard with as few matches as possible. It plays as a reachability puzzle rather than a pipe-matching one: a lamp catches from any side, and what matters is where a lit lamp's spouts point, so you turn the lamps to aim the light and then commit a match and watch the cascade run. Turning is free and undoable; matches are not, which gives every board a moment of planning and a moment of payoff. Every board is generated from a seed with a provable par, so the fewest matches shown is always achievable, and a garland of perfectly aimed flames is always possible too. The Daily Deepmala gives everyone the same five boards each evening, with a leaderboard and a spoiler-free share card, and Endless Evening is a longer night of growing boards that runs until dawn. Diwali is the launch theme, with an optional festive layer of toran and rangoli during the festival, but the puzzle itself is the same every day of the year. It is free, needs no download, works offline once loaded, and supports keyboard play, reduced motion, bold spouts and a screen-reader grid.
How to Play Deepmala
Every board is a rangoli courtyard of clay diyas. Each diya has one to four wick spouts. Tap a diya to turn it a quarter, and the chalk line from each spout shows where its flame will land. Press and hold a diya to strike a match: it lights, and a flame leaps out of every spout along its line to the next lamp, which lights and fires its own flames in turn. Light every lamp using the board's par in matches. Clay pots of marigolds block a flame, brass plates bend it round a corner, and lamps with a dotted ring cannot be turned. If every flame lands on a lamp and none is wasted on the edge or a pot, you keep the garland bonus. The Daily Deepmala is five boards shared by everyone with one scored attempt a day; Endless Evening gives you three spare matches and runs until the matchbox is empty or dawn breaks after fifty boards.
Deepmala Tips and Strategy
- Plan from the lamp you will strike. Follow its spouts down the chalk lines and turn each lamp it reaches so the flame keeps travelling; the dashed preview line shows exactly where every flame will land before you commit a match.
- A lamp catches from any side, so only the direction a lit lamp's spouts point matters. You never need two lamps to face each other.
- Clay pots of marigolds stop a flame dead, and a full row of pots splits the board into separate courtyards. The par number tells you how many sides the board has: one match per side.
- Brass plates bend a flame round a corner. Tap a plate to flip it between its two angles; it is often the cheapest way to reach a lamp hiding behind a pot.
- For the garland bonus every flame has to land on a lamp. Before striking, look for a red x at the end of a preview line: that spout is aimed at the courtyard edge or a pot, and one turn usually fixes it.
- Lamps with a dotted ring are fixed. Build the rest of the chain around them rather than the other way round.
- In Endless Evening, garlands refill the matchbox. Taking a few extra seconds to keep every flame on a lamp pays back later, when the boards grow to eight by eight.
Deepmala FAQ
Is Deepmala free to play?
Yes. Deepmala is free on Weekly Arcade with no download, no ads and no purchases. Coins earned from finished evenings buy cosmetic lamps, flames and chalk in the Bazaar Stall; they never change a board or a score.
How do I light a lamp in Deepmala?
Press and hold a diya for a moment to strike a match. On a computer you can also right-click a lamp, or move the cursor with the arrow keys and press Enter twice. Tapping a lamp only turns it.
What does par mean?
Par is the fewest matches the board can be lit with. It equals the number of separate courtyards the pots divide the board into, and every board is generated so that par is always achievable. Each match over par costs points.
What is the garland bonus?
A board where every flame lands on another lamp, with none wasted on the courtyard edge or a marigold pot, earns the garland bonus. A garland with no extra matches earns all three diyas on the board's rating.
How does the Daily Deepmala work?
Every evening everyone gets the same five boards, from five by five up to seven by seven. Your first full run is scored and goes on the daily leaderboard; after that you can replay the evening as practice. If you leave mid-evening, it waits for you until the day ends.
What is Endless Evening?
A longer night of boards that grow from five by five to eight by eight. You start with three spare matches, every match over par spends one, and every garland gives one back. The evening ends when the matchbox is empty, or at dawn after fifty boards.
Is Deepmala a Diwali game?
Diwali is the launch theme: diyas, rangoli, marigolds and a festive toran during the festival week. The puzzle itself is the same every day of the year, and the festive layer is purely cosmetic and can be switched off.
Can I play Deepmala offline or with a keyboard?
Yes to both. Once the page has loaded it plays offline, and scores are sent when you reconnect. Arrow keys move the cursor, Space turns, Enter arms and strikes, Z undoes and H asks for a hint. There is also a calm-motion setting, bold spouts, and every cell is announced to screen readers.
