How to Play Vector Matrix: Signal Break

The goal

A signal leaves the green Source and must reach the blue Target carrying exactly the energy written on the Target. You choose the route by turning the arrows of the nodes on the grid. If the numbers match, you clear the level.

The board

The grid is made of cells. These are the pieces you will meet in the first worlds:

• Source (green): the signal starts here with the number shown, in the direction of its fixed arrow. You cannot turn it.
• Target (blue): the signal stops here. The number on it is the energy the signal must arrive with.
• Node: an arrow plus an operation such as +3 or −2. When the signal enters a node, it first applies the operation to its energy, then leaves in the direction of the arrow.
• Empty cell: nothing happens. The signal passes straight through without changing direction or energy.

Turning the arrows

Tap or click a node to turn its arrow 90° clockwise. Every tap is one move.

• The fourth tap brings the arrow back to where it started and flips the sign: + becomes − and − becomes +. A node therefore has eight states: four directions and two signs.
• Right-click or long-press turns the arrow the other way. It still counts as one move.
• Undo has no limit and takes back one move at a time. Reset returns the whole level to its starting layout.
• On a computer you can also use the keyboard: arrow keys move between cells, Space turns the selected cell (Shift+Space turns it back), Enter launches the signal and R resets.

How the signal travels

Press Launch Signal. The signal moves one cell at a time and the energy counter always shows its current value.

• When it enters a node, the signal applies the number first and then turns to follow the node's arrow.
• The grid is locked while the signal moves. Afterwards the cells stay where they are, so you can fix your layout and launch again.
• The 2x button makes the signal move faster.
• In the first two worlds the energy is allowed to drop below zero.

Winning and errors

A level is cleared when the signal reaches the Target with exactly the required energy. Otherwise the signal breaks and the game tells you why:

• Left the matrix: the signal went outside the grid.
• Infinite loop: the signal entered the same cell twice.
• Wrong energy: the signal reached the Target with a different number. The message shows what was wanted and what arrived.
• Energy depleted (from world 3): if the energy drops to 0 or below, the signal dies.
• Later worlds add more ways to break the signal, such as hitting a wall, dividing unevenly or skipping a checkpoint.

Moves, par and stars

Every level shows a par: the fewest moves it can be solved in.

• 3 stars: solve it in par moves or fewer.
• 2 stars: up to 3 moves above par.
• 1 star: any solution.
• Stars add up, and replaying a level only keeps your best result. Stars open new worlds and star chests give Cores.
• Cell Hints do not change your stars.

Attempts and lives

Every level gives you 3 launches. Each failed launch uses one. Undo and Reset are free.

• When your attempts run out you can continue with 3 more attempts for 20 Cores, or give up.
• Giving up, or leaving a level you have already started, costs 1 life. You can hold up to 5 lives and a new one arrives every 20 minutes.
• The first level of every world is a tutorial: it costs no attempts and no lives.
• With no lives left you can still browse the map and wait for the next life.

Cores and the shop

Cores are the in-game currency.

• You earn Cores by clearing levels (more for each new star), by opening star chests and with world-finale bonuses.
• Cores pay for Cell Hints, an Energy Eye, extra attempts and refilled lives.
• The shop and in-app purchases are not open yet.

Hints and the Energy Eye

Stuck? There are two helpers.

• Cell Hint (30 Cores): highlights one cell you should change. It does not reveal the whole solution.
• Energy Eye (25 Cores per level): shows live where the signal will go, the energy in each cell and where it will break, without using an attempt. It does not reveal the correct layout, and it is not available in tutorial levels.

Worlds and new mechanics

Each world adds one new idea. The first worlds are ready and more are on the way.

• World 1 – Origin Sector: nodes and arrows, the basics.
• World 2 – Reverse Current: you will need to flip signs with four taps, and energy can go negative.
• World 3 – Locked Nodes: some nodes are locked and cannot be changed, and the signal dies if its energy reaches 0 or below.
• To open the next world you must finish all 20 levels of the previous one and have enough stars in total. Planned for later: walls, multipliers (×2, ÷2), portals, checkpoints, fog, move limits and entangled pairs.

Tips

A few habits that make levels easier:

• Work backwards from the Target: what energy must arrive just before it?
• Look for nodes that already point the right way. Often you only need to fix two or three.
• Beware of tempting short routes: the shortest path often gives the wrong energy.
• Use Undo freely. It costs nothing and does not use attempts.
• A failed launch is not wasted: the message tells you exactly what to fix.