Mini-games
Each chapter pauses the story a few times to ask you to act. Every game follows the same rules: the friend you need is named on screen; you press that friend’s key with the finger that owns it; a wrong key waits rather than counting against you; and nothing is timed. Space and the forward arrows do not skip a game that is waiting for a key.
The games arrive in this order across the eight chapters. Every chapter closes on the same three beats: the recap of the chapter’s friends, the mystery word (from chapter 3), and the typing lap.
| Game | What you see | What you do | First appears |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dodge | Time slows, something is coming, and one friend’s picture is highlighted | Press that friend’s key. The dodge plays and the story continues. | Chapter 1 |
| Tell it back | The scene you just lived as a row of beads, one per friend, with the letters hidden: only each friend’s name and colour show | Press each friend’s key in order. Done beads reveal their letter. Every chapter closes with a recap of that chapter’s friends. | Chapter 1 |
| Two columns | The keys of this chapter’s finger and its neighbour, laid out as they sit on the keyboard, with the friend’s name at the top | Press the named friend’s key with the finger that owns it, leaving the neighbouring finger still. The name changes for each round. | Chapter 3 |
| Mystery word | A hidden word; the friend who owns the next letter steps forward, and the slide says which key to press | Press the key named and the letter fills in. When the word is complete the narrator reveals it, and Space moves on. | Chapter 3 |
| Typing lap | A short passage with only the letters you have learned showing and the rest blank. The next letter to press glows green, and the dialogue box says Press E (or whichever key comes next) | Type the marked letters one at a time, in reading order. Letters you have not learned yet, and the spaces, are skipped for you. When the line is done the narrator reveals it, and Space moves on. | Chapter 1, closing every chapter |
| River crossing | Stepping stones, one per friend, in the order you met them, each showing who is next | Press each friend’s key to take the next step. In the finale the letters are hidden and every friend crosses. | Chapter 4; the finale |
A screen reader announces each new friend’s name as it changes. A correct press may flash a short cheer; with reduced motion turned on it appears without a pop (appearance and accessibility).