Worlds WithinHow to avoid dead ends in a one-line tile puzzle
Before drawing farther, ask whether every unvisited tile still has a way into your path.
Start with the right rule
Worlds Within asks you to visit every walkable tile once. This differs from a puzzle where every edge must be drawn once. An Euler-path rule about odd-degree vertices is not a general solution to a tile-covering puzzle.
Notice the tiles with one remaining way in
An unvisited tile with only one usable neighbor can become a dead end. Check whether it is a permitted final tile; if it is not, plan when to visit it before another move removes its last connection.
Protect narrow passages
A narrow connection can be the only way between two regions. Passing through it before covering the region you are leaving may strand the remaining tiles. Look beyond the next move.
Leave the marked finish until last
The finish tile is not a shortcut. If it has a marker, save it for the final step while preserving a path to all the other tiles.
A small worked example
Free garden 2, To the Corner, uses a full 3×3 board: start upper-left, finish lower-right. One valid route is right, right, down, left, left, down, right, right. The worked diagrams below use this real board and free garden 3, Around the Stone.
Undo instead of starting from nothing
If a route strands tiles, retrace to the first move that closed off access. Test another branch. In Worlds Within you may lift your finger and continue from the current tip; you do not have to rush a continuous gesture.
Two real free gardens, step by step
The numbers show visit order, including the starting tile. Read rows from top to bottom; ■ is a blocked tile. Coordinates below count columns and rows from 1. These routes are verified against the shipped free prologue, not generated sample boards.
Free garden 2 · To the Corner
Visit coordinates in order: (1,1) → (2,1) → (3,1) → (3,2) → (2,2) → (1,2) → (1,3) → (2,3) → (3,3)
Free garden 3 · Around the Stone
Visit coordinates in order: (1,1) → (2,1) → (3,1) → (4,1) → (4,2) → (4,3) → (3,3) → (2,3) → (2,2) → (1,2) → (1,3)
Why the obvious shortcut fails
In garden 2, right → right → down → down reaches the marked finish after only 5 of 9 tiles. Four tiles remain. Undo to the fork and keep the finish for move 9. In garden 3, treat the stone as a missing tile; a route may not jump over it.
Open the free game to try these boards. Finish garden 1, then advance to gardens 2 and 3. A valid route is an example, not a unique-solution claim.
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