GATEFALL (read-ahead puzzle)

GATEFALL is a real-time vision puzzle where gate stones advance down a narrow bridge, sometimes straight and sometimes diagonally. From later rounds, follow-up waves appear while the first stones are still falling. Their true faces appear only for a blink, then turn into shadows.

The core action is simple: tap an empty cell to place a seal where a stone will arrive. When a stone touches that seal, it cuts automatically. Purple and cyan stones should be cut; red forbidden stones should be allowed to pass.

How to play

1. Enter a username and choose GATEFALL
2. First, just watch the preview: purple ◆ and cyan ◇ should be cut, red × should not
3. Read the ↓ / ↙ / ↘ direction and place a MIKIRI seal where the stone will arrive
4. When a stone touches that seal, it auto-CUTs; tapping the same seal only removes it
5. Cyan stones charge the afterglow slash; use it when one column gets crowded

Difficulty

Before your run, GATEFALL shows a short automatic demo. The first three playable rounds are intentionally slow. From Round 4, diagonal stones begin to appear, and from Round 5, follow-up waves can enter before the first wave is gone. Speed still rises gradually without sudden jumps.

Real play data

Aggregated from 59 play records stored on MIKIRI's own servers (as of 2026-10-04; each completed run counts once, so repeat plays by the same person are included; flagged runs excluded). The sample is still small, so read this as where runs tend to stop rather than a settled trend.

The median is ROUND 6. Only 8% of runs get past ROUND 13 (advanced).

See distributions for every mode →

These figures aggregate in-game records measured in browsers worldwide. They are not medical or academic measurements.

Tips

• Watch the automatic demo before touching the board
• Use each blink to memorize red stones, ↙/↘ path arrows and follow-up waves
• Place seals low enough that you have time to read diagonal arrivals
• Sometimes the best move is to let a forbidden stone pass
• Save the afterglow slash for crowded columns

What GATEFALL actually tests

GATEFALL demands three things at once: reading the trajectory of the approaching gate stones, the timing of where you place your mark, and the discipline to not cut the red forbidden stones. That last one — inhibition — is a different kind of load from games that reward constant reaction.

A stone's identity is visible only for an instant after it appears; after that it is a silhouette. So you memorise while you can and judge from memory afterwards. It looks like a reaction game but leans heavily on short-term memory.

Where people get stuck

Cutting the forbidden stones. The hand moves before the decision does, especially when a lane gets busy. Train yourself to pause the moment you see red — letting it through earns the CALM BONUS.

Placing marks too high. Diagonal stones land somewhere else. Marking lower buys you time to read the direction first.

Spending the afterglow slash early. Using it on an empty lane wastes it. Hold it for the moment two waves overlap.

FAQ

Q. Is GATEFALL free?

A. Yes. It is free, needs no signup and runs in your phone or desktop browser.

Q. Is it a copy of I.Q?

A. No. It is inspired by the tension of read-ahead action puzzles, but uses MIKIRI's own seal, forbidden-stone, memory and afterglow-slash rules.

Q. What does the score mean?

A. It is a game score based on rounds survived, stones read and clean cuts. It is not a medical or sports performance measurement.

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