Water Color Sort

🧪 Water Color Sort: The Tower of Hanoi with Fluids

Water Color Sort is a logic puzzle that visualizes the computer science concept of stacks (Last In, First Out). The objective is to sort mixed colored liquids into separate tubes until each tube contains only one color. The constraint is simple but strict: you can only pour a liquid onto another layer of the same color, and only if the destination tube has space. This creates a rigorous dependency chain puzzle.

In the 2026 casual market, this title is the gold standard for algorithmic thinking. It requires the player to execute a "bubble sort" algorithm manually, moving data (water) around a limited buffer (tubes) to achieve a sorted state.

🧠 Cognitive & Planning Skills

Solving advanced levels requires deep look-ahead:

• Recursive Thinking: "To move the red, I need to move the blue. To move the blue, I need an empty tube. To get an empty tube..." Players must trace this logic tree back 5-10 steps.
• Space Management: The empty tubes are your "working memory." Wasting an empty tube on a short-term move often leads to a deadlock (soft lock). Preserving buffers is key.
• Pattern Recognition: Identifying "buried" colors—colors at the bottom of a stack that are needed to unlock another stack—helps prioritize which tube to empty first.

🎮 Mechanics & Ruleset

The game operates on strict binary rules:

• The Pour Condition: You can pour Color A onto Color A. You cannot pour Color A onto Color B. This rule enforces order.
• Capacity Limit: Each tube holds exactly 4 units. You cannot overfill. This forces you to calculate the volume before pouring.
• No Undo Limit (Usually): Most versions allow unlimited undos. This shifts the difficulty from "execution" to "experimentation," encouraging players to try complex sorting branches without fear.

🏆 Sorting Strategy

1. Prioritize the Empty Tube

Your primary goal in the early game is to create one fully empty tube. This acts as a "swap space." Once you have one empty tube, you can use it to temporarily hold colors while you reorganize others.

2. Bottom-Up Solving

Look at the bottom-most colors in the tubes. Identify which color appears most frequently at the bottom. Try to sort that color first. Building a foundation prevents you from having to dig deep later in the solve.

🛡️ Technical Info

Minimalist and fluid:

• Visuals: Satisfying fluid simulation. The water flows and settles with realistic viscosity visuals.
• Audio: ASMR-style pouring sounds contribute to the relaxing nature of the game.

❓ FAQ