What is Parker?
Parker is a sliding-block puzzle where colored blocks jam a six-by-six grid and one red block must escape through a gap in the right wall. Each block moves only along its axis—horizontal blocks slide left or right, vertical blocks slide up or down. Nothing rotates or jumps. You tap a block, tap the destination square, and it slides there if the path is clear. The top bar shows moves played, elapsed time, par, and perfect, the last being the absolute minimum computed by exhaustive search.
How to play Parker
- Press Start and locate the red block and the exit gap in the right wall.
- Tap a block to select it, then tap the square where you want it to go. It will slide there if nothing blocks the path.
- Clear the red block's route by moving obstructing blocks away. One slide counts as one move regardless of distance traveled.
- Guide the red block out. If you reach a dead end, use Restart board to reset the layout and move count to zero. The Hint button remains available, and Give up closes the day.
Why Parker differs from other parking jams
Parker solves each board by exhaustive search before serving it, so the perfect score is not an estimate but the absolute minimum. The lack of undo changes how you approach the puzzle: plan carefully or restart, because the clock runs from the moment the board opens and does not reset with the layout. The single hint appears only in the first game and never again. Sunday boards promise noticeably longer jams than weekday puzzles.
Reading the feedback
The game gives no immediate verdict on a move. It counts the move and the time. The clock starts when the board opens, before the first move. The scoring is straightforward: a perfect run earns ten points, and every two moves beyond perfect costs one point, down to a minimum of one. Finishing always scores higher than giving up. The par and perfect scores shown at the top come from an exhaustive search of that day's board.
Tips for a cleaner solve
Work backwards from the exit. Find what blocks the red block's lane, then clear the blocks in its way. The game recommends this approach, and it cuts down on wasted moves.
A slide costs one move regardless of distance. Sending a block to the end of its lane costs no more than moving it one square, and it can open two passages at once.
There is no undo. Restarting replaces the blocks and resets the move count, but the clock keeps running. Think before you tap instead of correcting mistakes afterward.
The free hint appears only in the first game. It names the next block to move. Save it for a genuine blockage rather than using it to get started.
Modes
Daily Jam is a numbered, dated board with its own par and perfect scores. There is one board each day.
The rules say that the Sunday jam is noticeably longer.