How to play Tesserra

Roll the cube, match the glowing energy tiles, and grow your score—here is how controls, modes, and menus work.

Goal

You move a cube across a 3D grid. Each face of the cube has a color or pattern context that must align with special tiles on the board (“energy” fields). When you roll into a valid match, you collect that energy, clear pressure from the board, and add to your score. The exact feel differs by mode—Freeplay lets you think and undo; Survival rewards speed under a timer.

Movement

• Keyboard — Use the arrow keys to roll the cube one step in that direction.
• Touch — Swipe in the direction you want to roll. If you prefer on-screen buttons, open Settings (gear in the menu) and enable the on-screen D-pad.
• Planning — Watch the numbers on the cube if you use them—they help you reason about orientation without guessing.

Camera

On desktop you can hold right-click and drag to orbit the camera, and use the scroll wheel to zoom when that control is enabled. If the view ever feels awkward, use the in-game shortcut to reset the camera to a comfortable default (see the hotkey overlay below).

Undo & redo

In modes that allow it (such as Freeplay), you can step backward and forward through moves with Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y. Timed modes like Survival typically disable undo so every roll counts.

Score & saving

Your current run score appears in the HUD. When you are logged in, use Save score from the menu (or the save shortcut) to persist a strong run. Leaderboards show how you compare once your score is stored server-side.

Menu & useful shortcuts

Open the hamburger menu (top-right) for Save score, Leaderboard, Settings, login, multiplayer (when available), and returning to mode selection. A few keys speed things up:

• L — Login / register
• S — Save score (or use the save button on touch)
• G — Settings
• B — Leaderboard
• M — Multiplayer menu (when enabled)
• ? — Full keyboard shortcut map
• Esc — Close overlays

Audio & affirmations

Background music and sound effects can be toggled in Settings, with a volume slider for fine control. Affirmations are short supportive lines that can appear during play; turn them off in Settings if you prefer a quieter visual focus.

Ready to try it? Open Tesserra and play. For the story behind the project, see About.