Preview
What is Lantern Pond?
Lantern Pond is a mahjong solitaire game in your browser where you pick two matching free tiles to lift them off a stacked pond until no tile is left. Its 30 levels grow from 20 tiles on one layer to 68 tiles on four layers across three chapters: Moon Gate, Lantern Bridge with blossom tiles that all match each other, and Misty Shore where covered tiles stay hidden until they are free. There is no timer and no way to lose; undo is free, so it suits calm players who like to think a few pairs ahead.
Key facts
- Genre
- Puzzle
- Players
- 1 (single player)
- Levels
- 30, in 3 chapters of 10
- Pond size
- 20 to 68 tiles, up to 4 layers
- Tile faces
- 38: 3 suits of 9, moons, friends, blossoms
- 3 stars
- Clear with no hint or shuffle
- Session length
- Under 5 min
- Platform
- Web browser
- Devices
- Desktop, tablet, mobile
- Price
- Free
- Sign-up
- Not required
How do you play Lantern Pond?
Clear every tile from the pond by taking them off two at a time. Tap or click a free tile, then a free tile with the same picture; both float away. A tile is free when no tile lies on top of it and its left or right side is open. The faces are koi, lotus and lantern tiles numbered 1 to 9, four moon phases, a frog, a dragonfly and a heron, plus four blossoms that match any other blossom. If no free pair is left, undo pairs for free or shuffle the remaining tiles; a shuffle always leaves a pond you can clear. On Misty Shore, covered tiles show only waves until they become free.
Tips & strategy
- Take pairs from the top of tall stacks first: one pair there can free 2 or 3 tiles below, an edge pair frees at most 1.
- With three copies of a face free, take the two that unblock the most, so the fourth is not trapped under its twin.
- Save blossoms for the end. Any two of them match, so they are the easiest pair to finish a pond with.
- Open long rows from both ends: the middle tiles of a row only free up once its ends are gone.
- Stuck near the end? Undo two or three pairs before you shuffle. Undo never costs a star; a shuffle or hint does.
What are the controls in Lantern Pond?
| ACTION | INPUT |
|---|---|
| Pick or match a tile | Tap a free tile, then its twin |
| Pick or match a tile | Click a free tile, then its twin |
| Move between free tiles | Arrow keys, Enter to pick |
| Undo the last pair | Undo button or Z |
| Hint or shuffle | Buttons below the pond, H or S |
| Pause | Pause button, P or Esc |
Plays with keyboard, mouse, and touch. Fullscreen works in desktop and mobile browsers.
Lantern Pond FAQ
What makes a tile free in Lantern Pond?
A tile is free when no tile lies on it, even partly, and its left or right side is open. Tiles above and below do not block it. Covered or boxed-in tiles look darker, and tapping one gives a soft knock instead of picking it.
Do different blossom tiles match in Lantern Pond?
Yes. From Lantern Bridge, level 11, each pond has two or four blossom tiles with a gold ring: plum, camellia, chrysanthemum and orchid. Any two of them make a pair, so a plum can leave with an orchid. Every other face needs its exact twin.
What happens when no pairs are left in Lantern Pond?
You never lose. A sheet offers Shuffle, Undo and Restart. Undo puts back the last pairs for free; Shuffle re-deals the tiles still on the pond into an order that can always be cleared, but it counts as help for the star rating.
How does the mist work on Misty Shore?
In levels 21 to 30, any tile that is not free shows a teal wave pattern instead of its face. The face appears the moment the tile becomes free. You can still count stacks and rows, so plan which pair opens the most hidden tiles.
Which helpers cost stars in Lantern Pond?
Clear the pond without using Hint or Shuffle. Up to two of them together still earn 2 stars, and more give 1. Undo is unlimited and free, so taking back a careless pair is the way to keep 3 stars.
Can every Lantern Pond level be cleared?
Yes. Each pond is dealt by lifting pairs off the full layout in reverse, so a clearing order exists from the start. If your choices lead to a dead end, a shuffle builds a new solvable order from the tiles that remain.
Which pair glows when I press Hint in Lantern Pond?
The hint makes two free tiles glow. When the game can find a full clear from your current pond, the glowing pair is the first step of it; otherwise it is the pair that frees the most tiles. Pressing Hint again flashes the same pair without counting twice.
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