How to Play Pip and the Lost Letters
Pip and the Lost Letters is a typing game for kids. Pip the hedgehog stands at the start of a path of stepping stones, and every stone carries a letter. Press the right key and Pip hops onto the next stone. Letters that make a word are guarded by a grumpy critter at the end of the word, and when you type the last letter Pip bonks it off the path. Type the whole path and Pip reaches the flag. The game was inspired by classic typing adventures such as Mario Teaches Typing, where your character only moves when you type, and it is built for a real computer keyboard.
Before every level a mission card tells you what you are practising and why. It shows the new keys, which finger presses each one and the goal for every star. Levels with new keys open with a short warm-up: type each new key a few times with the hands diagram showing the right finger. The warm-up has no clock and no score. Then the real run begins, and its clock starts on your first key, so you can settle your fingers first.
- Fingers home: left hand on A S D F, right hand on J K L ;, thumbs over the Space bar. Feel for the small bumps on F and J.
- One finger per key: the on-screen keyboard is coloured by finger. Pinkies are pink, ring fingers orange, middle fingers yellow, pointers green and thumbs blue.
- The next key glows: the line of text at the top shows what is coming, with the next letter in a big coloured box.
- Esc pauses, and Enter starts levels and moves on from menus.
Five Worlds, Thirty Levels
The adventure starts from nothing. In Home Row Meadow you learn F and J, then D and K, S and L, A and the semicolon, then stretch your pointer fingers to G and H for your first real words. Treetop Trail adds the top row one pair at a time. Crystal Caves adds the bottom row, the comma, the period and the slash, so you can type every letter. Cloud Castle teaches capitals with the correct Shift key, then sentences, questions, apostrophes and exclamation marks. Star Summit adds the number row and finishes with speed levels. Every level mixes the new keys with the ones you already know, so earlier lessons keep getting practice.
The last level of each world is a boss: Grumble the Mole, Bramble the Crow, Rumble the Rock Troll, Duchess Drizzle and finally The Scrambler. Every word you finish throws a glowing acorn. Each boss charges up a stomp between words. Finish a word cleanly before the stomp lands and the hit is a Perfect, worth bonus points. A stomp never hurts Pip, so any typist can beat every boss.
Flow, Stars and Scores
The Flow meter in the top bar is the heart of the game. It fills when you type in a steady rhythm without stopping to search for keys, and that is exactly what touch typing gives you. A full Flow meter multiplies every key and every critter by one and a half, two, then three, and Pip starts to glow and sprint. A long search for a key or a mistake drains it. Hunting and pecking can still finish a level, but steady fingers on the home row score far more.
Mistakes are friendly. A wrong key never ends the run: Pip wobbles, the key flashes, and the game waits for the right one. Each letter can only count as one mistake, however many keys get pressed. After three misses on the same letter the hands diagram shows which finger to use. Stars keep you honest: one star for finishing, two for 90% accuracy, and three for 90% accuracy within the par time shown on the mission card.
Your score adds the Flow points to a speed bonus, an accuracy bonus and any Perfect boss hits. After world 1 you can switch on Ninja mode, which hides the keyboard guide for an extra ten percent. Every level has its own personal best and its own global leaderboard, so racing your own best time on a favourite level is the way to climb.
Hats, Medals and the Keyboard Map
Your progress shows on the keyboard itself. Every key you learn lights up in its finger colour, and a key gets a gold rim when you earn three stars on the level that taught it. Stars also unlock hats for Pip: a leaf cap, an acorn helmet, a wizard hat, an explorer hat and a crown. Each boss you beat earns a world medal on the map. Progress saves in your browser automatically, and Continue on the title screen takes you straight to the next level.
Frequently Asked Questions
What age is Pip and the Lost Letters for?
It is made for children aged about 6 to 12, and it starts from zero. The first level teaches only F and J and where the other fingers rest. Older beginners and grown-ups who never learned to touch type can use it too.
Why does Pip and the Lost Letters start with F and J?
F and J have small bumps you can feel without looking. Touch typists rest their pointer fingers there, and every other key is reached from that home position. Starting with them builds the habit of returning to the home row before anything else is added.
How does the Flow meter reward touch typing?
Flow fills when your keys come at a steady pace close to your own rhythm, and it drains when you stop to search for a key or make a mistake. Touch typists keep an even rhythm, so they reach the times-two and times-three multipliers. Hunting for keys means long pauses between bursts, and every long pause drains Flow, so the steadier you type, the more it pays.
What happens when you press the wrong key?
Pip wobbles, the key you pressed flashes, and the game waits for the right key. Nothing is lost and the run never ends early. Each letter counts as at most one mistake for accuracy, and after three misses on the same letter the hands diagram shows the finger to use.
How do I get three stars on a level?
One star for finishing, two stars for 90% accuracy or better, and three stars for 90% accuracy within the par time. The par time is shown on the mission card before you start, and it rises gently from world to world.
What is Ninja mode?
Ninja mode unlocks after you beat Grumble the Mole at the end of world 1. It hides the on-screen keyboard so you keep your eyes on the path, and it adds ten percent to your score. If you press a wrong key, the hands diagram still pops up to show the right finger.
Which Shift key should I use for capital letters?
The one on the other hand. For a capital J, K or any letter your right hand types, hold Left Shift with your left pinky. For a capital A, S or any left-hand letter, hold Right Shift with your right pinky. Cloud Castle teaches this, and the game reminds you if you use the Shift on the same side.
Can Pip and the Lost Letters be played on a tablet or phone?
It is built for a real keyboard, because the skill it teaches is finger typing. A tablet with a Bluetooth keyboard plays normally. Without a keyboard you can practise with the on-screen keys, which still teaches where every key lives, but those practice runs do not post to the global leaderboards.
How are the leaderboards kept fair?
Every run makes fresh text, so a memorised key macro types the wrong letters. Keys sent by a script, inhumanly even or fast timing, and impossible bursts mark a run as not eligible for the global board. Those runs still count for stars and progress, so nobody loses anything.
Which keyboard layout does it teach?
The finger guide and keyboard picture use the US QWERTY layout. The game checks the character you type, so other layouts still play, but the finger colours will only match a QWERTY keyboard.
