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Midnight, a graveyard, a cat to find. And seven skeletons who have a bone to pick with you.
What it's about
Find the cat, escape the skeletons, reach the exit
Graveyard Shift is the solo puzzle game by Raf Peeters for SmartGames. A brave girl entered the graveyard at midnight to look for her cat — too bad the skeletons woke up and have a score to settle with her. You must get her to the exit safe and sound.
It's a sequential movement puzzle with a twist: you move and rotate the pieces — the girl and the skeletons — one at a time into an adjacent free space, until you open a path. Each tile has a different shape with interlocking protrusions, the tombs create dead ends, and the skeletons block the way.
Eighty challenges of increasing difficulty: it starts gentle and progresses to levels for true experts — the toughest one requires 158 moves to solve. In Graveyard Shift there's no luck, no dice: just logic, patience, and spatial reasoning. Compact box, perfect to take anywhere.
The twist is in the shapes: each piece has different protrusions, and before putting it back down you can rotate it. Moving one skeleton frees another — and suddenly the path changes.
The secret of Graveyard Shift in one line
That moment when you stare at the bone maze, move the right piece, and the entire path opens up in front of the girl. It's worth every minute spent thinking about it.
From the gaming experience
Graveyard Shift
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, official SmartGames materials and play sessionsOn the Board
What you move in each challenge
The Girl and the Cat
The piece you need to guide to the exit. The challenge is solved when she reaches the graveyard gate.
The Skeletons
Seven living bones obstructing the path. You move them one at a time to clear the way — but moving one can block another.
The Tombs
Three fixed gravestones that create dead ends. They force you to plan your route by navigating around obstacles.
Shapes and Rotations
Each tile has different protrusions. Before putting a piece back down, you can rotate it: this is where the most ingenious solutions arise.
A seemingly impossible challenge, ten minutes of silence, then the girl slips through the gate. It always happens with Graveyard Shift.
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Components5 elements · 11 puzzle tiles
A five-part challenge
What happens when you play
Not the rules. The experience.
Choose your next challenge
Open the booklet and pick a number between 1 and 80. The first levels are to warm up, the higher ones if you're in the mood to suffer a bit. Below the title is the minimum move count: a small challenge within the challenge.
Set up the graveyard
Position tombstones, skeletons, and the girl with the cat in the exact orientation shown in the diagram. The bone labyrinth is ready. Now there's only one exit — and you have to find it.
The first move (and the first dead end)
You move a skeleton to a free space, rotate it, unblock another. Then you realize that tombstone is blocking your way. You have to rethink the entire sequence from scratch.
The "aha!" moment
You stare at the board, mentally try three sequences, discard them all. Then you see that piece to rotate first and the whole path opens up. The girl finally has a way to the gate.
Out of the graveyard
The girl with the cat reaches the exit: challenge solved. A moment of pure satisfaction — and your eye is already scanning for the next number. "Just one more, then I'll stop."
How to play
Four steps for each challenge
Learn in a minute, play for hours. No rules to remember: just logic, hands, and plenty of patience.
From the 80 available, from beginner to expert level. Each is a puzzle in itself with only one correct solution.
Arrange tombstones, skeletons, and the girl in the exact orientation shown in the challenge diagram.
Move one piece at a time to an adjacent free space, rotating it if necessary, to clear the path.
The challenge is solved when the girl with the cat reaches the graveyard gate. Successful escape.
Why it works so well
Six things that make it special
Move, rotate, solve
The twist on the classic sliding puzzle: each piece has different shapes and protrusions and you can rotate it before putting it down. Simple to understand, devilish to master.
80 progressive challenges
It starts gently and reaches expert levels: the hardest challenge requires 158 moves. A curve designed to keep you always one step beyond your comfort zone.
Logic and spatial reasoning
Concentration, planning, visual perception and problem-solving: each challenge trains the mind in a concrete way, without feeling like an exercise.
Carefully crafted spooky theme
White skeletons, tombstones, and a heroine in pink in the dead of night. A light gothic atmosphere that makes each challenge different just to look at.
One solution, zero luck
No dice, no cards, no chance. Each challenge has its own solution and depends only on you. When you win, you know you did it with your mind.
Designed by Raf Peeters, travel-friendly
Designed by the celebrated SmartGames author, in a compact box with pieces that stay in place. You open it, solve a challenge, close it: ideal for travel.
How to solve it
A clear objective, a narrow path
Each challenge has only one solution. The beauty — and the difficulty — is finding the unique sequence of moves and rotations that opens the path to the exit.
Challenge completed
- Clear the path by moving and rotating pieces one at a time
- Guide the girl with the cat towards the gate
- When she reaches the exit, you're out of the graveyard
When you get stuck
- Tombstones close the path in a dead end
- Moving a skeleton blocks another in the wrong place
- No problem: rethink the sequence and start over
Graveyard Shift is one of those puzzles you open "for five minutes" and close an hour later, with the smile of someone who just beat seven skeletons. Quick to learn, hard to put down.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Graveyard Shift
Can a single-player puzzle really be engaging?
Yes, and that's precisely its strength. Graveyard Shift is designed for solo play: you play at your own pace, without waiting for anyone and without explaining rules. The satisfaction of unlocking a difficult challenge is all yours. It's the classic game you pull out when you want to unwind and focus on something of your own.
Once all 80 challenges are done, does it just sit in a drawer?
It's unlikely you'll solve them all on the first try: advanced challenges are tough, with one requiring 158 moves. Many replay them after some time, when the solution isn't fresh in memory anymore. It's more of a companion to pull out often than a "one and done" game.
How difficult are the challenges?
They range from beginner level, almost immediate, to expert level which requires minutes of thought and several attempts — the hardest takes 158 moves. The curve is gradual: you grow with the game and each level prepares you for the next. Suitable for both those who want to relax and those looking for a real brain-teaser.
Is it suitable for adults or just younger players?
It's recommended for ages 10 and up, including adults. The first levels are accessible to a bright youngster, but the advanced challenges stump anyone. It's one of those puzzles that works for the whole family, each at their own level.
Do you need to know English to play?
No. The challenges are visual diagrams: you look at the diagram, place the pieces, and play. There's no text to read during the game, so language is not a barrier.
Is it good for travel?
It's one of its best features. The box is compact and the pieces stay in place, so you can play it on a train, plane, or at a restaurant while you wait. A single challenge takes only a few minutes: ideal for filling downtime.
Graveyard Shift is a solo puzzle board game for 1 player (ages 10+), designed by Raf Peeters and published by SmartGames. Core mechanic: sequential movement puzzle with rotating pieces. The player moves and rotates the tiles — skeletons, tombstones, and the girl with the cat — one at a time into an adjacent free space, until guiding the heroine to the exit of a haunted graveyard. Includes 80 challenges of increasing difficulty, from beginner to expert level (the hardest requires 158 moves), with solutions. Trains logic, concentration, planning, visual perception, problem-solving, and spatial reasoning. No luck, no dice: just thought. Spooky theme, compact, and ideal for travel. Available on FroGames.it.
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