The Bug I Kept

2048 has a rule: if you swipe and not a single tile on the board moves, no new tile drops.

When I wrote it, my code had a bug. Nothing had moved, and a tile dropped anyway.

I did not notice.

I played like that for a while, and the game became easier.

It also had a satisfying rhythm. You could just keep swiping. It was unexpectedly relaxing, and unexpectedly fun.

So I kept the bug and turned it into a rule.

That is why ZenoWorks 2048 has two modes:

Standard　the original rule: nothing drops if nothing moved
Easy　keeps the bug: every swipe drops a tile

Both modes drop exactly one tile at a time. The only difference is that one swipe that moves nothing. In Standard, nothing happens: no new tile, no sound. In Easy, it still drops one, and it still goes thunk.

Iris Likes Easy Mode

Iris likes to play Easy mode.

Watching her tap away, thud after thud, I found it unexpectedly satisfying.