Swoop is a one-finger hill gliding game. Your little winged blob slides over rolling hills while the night creeps in from behind. Hold to get heavy and dive down the slopes, let go at the top of a hill to fly. Land smoothly on the next downslope for a Great Slide and a burst of speed. Each island you reach pushes the night back a little. There's a new set of hills every day, and everyone plays the same ones.
How to play Swoop
- Hold anywhere to get heavy: you dive and hug the ground.
- Let go as you reach the top of a hill to launch into the air.
- In the air, hold to dive back down. Aim to touch down on a downslope, not the face of the next hill.
- Reach the flag at the end of each island to push the night back. If the night catches you, the run is over.
Tips to get a high score
- Hold on the way down, release on the way up. That rhythm is the whole game.
- A smooth landing on a downslope is a Great Slide. Every third one starts FEVER and buys extra daylight, and only a THUD resets the count.
- Landing against the face of a hill is a THUD and costs a lot of speed. If you're about to overshoot, dive early.
- Watch the sun: the lower it sinks, the closer the night is behind you.
- Coin arcs follow a good flight path, so collecting them usually means you're flying well.
How the night speeds up
The night starts a fair way behind you and moves at a steady pace. Over the first 80 seconds that pace climbs evenly to nearly double, then stays there. Your blob never drops below a slow crawl, but that crawl is far slower than the night, so later in a run only real speed off the hills keeps you ahead.
Each island flag pushes the night back, and so does each FEVER. There's a limit though: a flag can't push the night further than a set distance behind you. A huge lead won't bank, so a steady stream of good landings beats one great jump.
The islands change as you go. After the first island, each one is a little longer than the one before, up to a cap. The hills also get taller and wider over roughly the first nine islands, which means bigger launches and longer flights to judge.
Great Slides and FEVER, exactly
A Great Slide needs three things: you were in the air for at least a sixth of a second, you touched down on a real downslope, and you were moving close to parallel with it. You keep almost all of your speed and get a kick along the slope on top.
Come in steeply against the ground instead and it's a THUD. You lose a quarter of your speed and your Great Slide streak resets. Landings in between are just landings. They don't add speed, but they don't reset the streak either.
FEVER fires on every third Great Slide in the streak: the third, sixth, ninth and so on. Because only a THUD resets the count, an ordinary landing between two Great Slides doesn't cost you your progress. Coins are a side collection and don't change your island score.
When to hold and when to let go
Holding makes gravity almost four times stronger. On the ground it also glues you over small bumps, so you don't get tossed off little lumps halfway down a slope. Hold from the crest all the way to the bottom of the valley to build speed.
Let go as the ground starts to turn upward. Climbing a face while heavy wastes the speed you just built, and being light at the top is what launches you. If you hold too long you'll stick to the crest and roll over it instead of flying.
In the air, staying light carries you furthest. Watch where you're going to come down. If you're heading for the face of the next hill, hold to dive early and catch the downslope before it instead. A flat or uphill touchdown can never be a Great Slide.
Daily levels and ghost races
Today's Swoop level is the same for everyone, and you race the ghosts of other players' runs. How daily levels and challenges work.
FAQ
What does holding do in Swoop?
Holding makes your blob heavy. On a downslope that speeds you up, and in the air it makes you dive. Letting go makes you light, so you sail off the top of a hill instead of sticking to it.
How do I get a Great Slide?
Come down from a jump and touch the ground on a downhill slope while you're moving roughly parallel to it. You keep your speed and get a boost on top. Every third Great Slide triggers FEVER, and only a THUD resets the count.
What is the score?
Your score is the number of islands you reach before the night catches you. Every island flag also pushes the night back.
Is it free?
Yes. Every Tapamine game is free to play in your browser with no download and no account.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. Tapamine is built for phones first: portrait, one thumb, and it works offline after your first visit. It also works with a mouse or the spacebar on a computer.
How do challenges work?
After a run, tap “Challenge a friend” to send a link. Your friend plays the exact same level and races your ghost — a replay of your run — to see who wins.
Add Swoop to your site
Swoop is free to embed on your blog, class page or website. Paste this code:
<iframe src="https://tapamine.com/embed/swoop/" title="Swoop: free one-tap game" width="360" height="640" style="border:0;border-radius:16px;max-width:100%" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; web-share" loading="lazy"></iframe>