Contrails
Race across a grid map, leaving a colored trail wherever you go. Claim the most territory before time runs out. Fast, reactive, and endlessly replayable.
What is Contrails?
Contrails is a real-time territory game played on a grid map. You control an arrow that moves continuously and leaves a colored trail wherever it goes. Use arrow keys, WASD, or the on-screen D-pad to change direction. The map wraps at the edges — fly off one side and you reappear on the other.
Powerup stars spawn across the map. Move over one to grab a random effect: a triple-wide trail, a speed burst, a freeze ray that stops all other players, a color bomb that floods a circle of your color around you, and more. You can only hold one powerup at a time, so picking up a new star replaces whatever you had. When the timer runs out, whoever painted the most tiles wins.
The Point of the Game
Paint as much of the grid as possible before the timer hits zero. Every tile you cross becomes your color. Depending on the mode, you can overwrite rivals' tiles. React fast, control the map, use your powerups at the right moment, and defend your ground.
A single round takes 5–15 minutes, so you can easily run multiple games back-to-back. The board changes completely each round, which makes it easy to switch modes and keep things fresh.
How It Works
- Choose a mode: Pick Mayhem (free for all), Turf War (teams), or Lockdown (territorial walls). Configure the timer and any other settings.
- Move continuously: Your arrow never stops. Use arrow keys, WASD, or the on-screen D-pad to steer. Every tile you cross gets painted your color.
- Wrap around: The grid has no walls. Hit an edge and you reappear on the opposite side. Plan your path accordingly.
- Grab powerups: Stars appear randomly on the map. Move over one to activate it. Use them at the right moment — they can flip the board state instantly.
- Collision rule: If two players land on the same tile at the exact same moment, neither player colors it. Head-on collisions are wasted movement.
- Win by coverage: When the timer hits zero, the player or team with the most colored tiles wins.
Game Modes
Mayhem
Free for all. Every player has their own color. Move over any tile to claim it, including tiles already claimed by others. Highest individual tile count wins.
Turf War
Team-based. Players split into teams that share a color. Overwrite enemy tiles to take their ground. The team with the highest combined tile count wins.
Lockdown
Territorial. You cannot move onto enemy-colored tiles — only blank or your own. Build walls to block opponents and box them in. If a team gets fully trapped, the other team scores a Jailer Victory.
Powerups
All modes: Triple Trail, Color Bomb, Speed Boost, Freeze Ray, Teleport. Lockdown exclusive: Ghost Walk (pass through enemy tiles temporarily) and Eraser (blank tiles instead of coloring them).
Good to Know
Wrap-Around Map
The grid has no walls. Fly off any edge and you reappear on the opposite side. Experienced players use this to cut across the map faster than opponents expect.
One Powerup at a Time
You can only hold one active powerup. Picking up a new star immediately replaces whatever effect you currently have — sometimes intentionally, sometimes not.
Fast Rounds
A typical round runs 5–15 minutes. You can easily run three or four games back to back. The board resets between rounds, so every game starts on equal footing.
No Late Joining
All players must be present before the game starts. You cannot join a Contrails session already in progress — get everyone in before you launch.
Get your group on the grid.
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