Play Tether — Free Rope-Cut Physics Puzzle

How to Play Tether

Tether is a free browser rope-cut pendulum puzzle. A steel weight hangs from one or more braided rope segments, each one anchored to an overhead beam. Click or tap any rope segment to sever it — the weight immediately swings on whatever support remains. Your goal is to land the weight inside the glowing green zone before it either falls off the screen or collides with an obstacle.

Each level has a par cut count. Finish in par or fewer cuts and you earn three stars. Go one cut over par and you earn two, and anything beyond that earns one. Stars feed into your session score through a multiplier — three-star clears are worth fifty percent more than par-plus-one clears — so the leaderboard rewards efficient solutions, not just completions.

The Four Tiers of Puzzle Complexity

Tier 1 (boards 1–8) introduces the core mechanic using a single rope. The weight is displaced from its natural hang point and begins swinging the moment the level loads. Your only decision is when to cut. Early levels have a generous zone and a slow swing, giving you time to study the arc before committing.

Tier 2 (boards 9–16) adds a second anchor rope and at least one obstacle barrier. Cutting the wrong rope first can send the weight directly into a barrier, so you must think about order, not just timing. Tier 2 also introduces fuse ropes — orange-highlighted strands with countdown timers that sever automatically when the timer expires. Fuse auto-fires can be your ally or your undoing depending on when they trigger in the swing cycle.

Tier 3 (boards 17–24) brings moving landing zones that oscillate horizontally across the lower canvas. The zone swings at a fixed frequency; your job is to engineer a swing arc that intersects the zone during one of its passes. With two or three ropes in play and a zone in motion, timing becomes as important as cut order.

Tier 4 (boards 25–30) combines everything: dense obstacle matrices, two independently timed fuse ropes, moving zones, and weight trajectories that must thread through gaps rather than arc freely. Par cuts in Tier 4 are demanding — three stars on the final boards requires planning each cut three swings ahead.

Strategy and Physics Tips

Count your active ropes. With two ropes the weight swings on an arc determined by whichever rope is taut. Removing one rope shifts the pivot. Think about where the new pivot will send the weight before you cut.
Let the weight build momentum. A freshly loaded level sometimes has the weight nearly stationary. Wait one half-swing so it gains speed before cutting — the zone is almost always below and to the side of the anchor, so a moving weight reaches it more reliably than a weight released from rest.
Watch fuse rope timing. An orange fuse rope that auto-fires at the right moment in the swing is free. If the fuse timer aligns with a good release angle, leave it alone and plan your remaining cut around the auto-fire.
Obstacles define the safe arc. If barriers block the direct swing path, look for a two-step cut: use the first cut to redirect the weight into a less obstructed arc, then cut again once it has cleared the obstacle field.
Moving zones have rhythm. Watch two or three full oscillations to establish the pattern. Then plan your cut so the weight arrives at the zone's farthest reach — the speed difference between zone and weight is smallest there, giving you the widest hit window.

The Industrial Workshop Theme

Tether is set in a worn warehouse. Anchor points are steel bolt-heads set into concrete beams; ropes are rendered as thick braided strands in muted rope-tan against a dark industrial background. The weight is a rounded steel block with an embossed edge. Landing sparks use warm amber and the zone glows in cool cyan-green — a deliberate contrast so the target always reads clearly against the grey palette. Audio uses the Web Audio API for a rope-snap creak on cut, a heavy thud on obstacle collision, and a rising three-note chime on a clean landing. Physics runs at 60fps with Verlet integration and no external library — all constraint solving is inline JavaScript.

If you enjoy physics-based puzzle games, try Plinko for a different take on falling-object trajectories, or Skipstones for a momentum-based skill puzzle. The full Puzzle Games catalogue has over twenty browser-native titles in the same genre family.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cut a rope in Tether?

Click or tap directly on any rope segment — the braided strand connecting an anchor bolt to the steel weight. The hit region is about 24px wide, so you do not need pixel-perfect aim. On mobile a firm single tap is enough; the canvas blocks default scroll while you are interacting so your tap registers cleanly without also scrolling the page.

What are fuse ropes and how do they work?

Fuse ropes glow orange and have a countdown timer. When the timer reaches zero they sever automatically, regardless of what the weight is doing. You can still cut a fuse rope manually before it fires. The faster the orange blink rate, the less time remaining. On several Tier 2 and Tier 4 levels the optimal solution involves letting at least one fuse rope auto-fire rather than spending a manual cut on it.

How is the star rating calculated in Tether?

Each level displays a par cut count. Finishing in par or fewer manual cuts earns three stars. One cut over par earns two stars; anything more earns one star. Fuse rope auto-fires do not count as manual cuts, so a well-placed fuse auto-fire effectively gives you a free cut toward par.

What happens when the weight hits an obstacle?

Striking a grey barrier immediately resets the level. The weight shatters on impact and you restart from the original loaded position with zero cuts and no score deduction from your session total — only levels you have not yet completed cost you stars. Plan your swing arc to thread through any gaps in the obstacle grid before the weight reaches the zone side of the board.

What are the moving landing zones in Tier 3 and Tier 4 levels?

From board 17 onward some landing zones oscillate left and right at a fixed frequency. You need to time your final cut so the weight arrives while the zone is within range. Watch the zone move through one or two complete cycles to learn its rhythm before committing — cutting too early or too late sends the weight into empty space past the zone's travel path.