How to play
AXE THROW is a one-button game about a spinning log. The log turns at the top of the screen and your axe waits at the bottom. Tap or click anywhere, or press Space, Enter, Up or W, and the axe flies straight up and sticks in the wood. Each log needs a set number of axes, shown as a column of little axes down the left side that go dark as you use them. Land them all and the log splits apart with a shout of TIMBER!, and the next one drops in.
The catch: every axe you land stays in the log and keeps turning with it. If your axe hits one that is already stuck, you get a CLANG!, the axe bounces off and the run is over. A run just keeps going, stage 1, 2, 3 and on, until you clang. Your furthest stage and best score are kept.
A tap that comes a fraction too early, while a new log is still dropping in, is held for a moment and thrown as soon as it can be, so you never lose a throw by being quick. R starts again, Esc or P pauses, and M or the speaker button turns the sound off and on.
Tips and strategy
- Watch the gap, not the log. Your axe always lands at the bottom of the log. Keep your eye on that spot and throw when an empty stretch of wood is about to roll past it.
- Learn the spin. Logs do not all turn smoothly. Some speed up and slow down in waves, some surge, some stop and flip direction, and later ones stutter, whip back and forth or spin in a chaotic mix. Wait for a slow moment before you throw into a crowded log.
- Go fast when the log is empty. Throws less than half a second apart build a SWIFT combo. From SWIFT x3 every axe scores 2 points instead of 1, so rattle off the first few axes while there is plenty of room.
- Brave throws pay. Landing very close to a stuck axe without touching it gives CLOSE! +1, a bonus point. Only go for it when you are sure.
- Mind the rusty axes. From stage 3, some logs arrive with old rusty axes already in them. They count as stuck axes, so hitting one is a clang too.
What's in it
Stages come in groups of five: four normal logs, then a boss log with an angry carved face and a BOSS FIGHT banner. Normal logs need 5 to 11 axes. Stage 1 is always 5 axes on a steady spin, and the speed, the number of axes and the wilder spin patterns all build up as you go. Bosses need 8 to 14 axes and break into nine pieces when you finish them.
There are six bosses: Old Gnarl, Iron Bark, Frost Stump, Ember Heart, Moss Titan and Golden Burl, each with its own look and spin. After stage 30 they come round again, faster and with more axes in them.
Coins come from slicing the apples on the rim (2 each), every stage you clear (1) and every boss (15). Spend them on axes: you start with the Lumberjack, six more are for sale, from the Camp Hatchet at 60 coins to the Neon axe at 450, and another six are trophies you can only get by beating each boss for the first time. That is 13 axes in all, in five head shapes. When you clang you can also pay 50 coins to CONTINUE and replay the stage you died on, once per run.
Questions
Why did I clang when there looked to be room?
An axe handle is wider than it looks. Your throw has to land a little way clear of any stuck axe, about 11 degrees round the log, so a gap that looks just big enough often is not.
How do I get the boss axes?
Beat each boss log once. The first time you break Old Gnarl you get the Gnarlwood axe, and so on for all six. They cannot be bought.
Can I play on a phone?
Yes. Tap anywhere to throw. It plays best with the phone held upright. On the title screen, tapping the log starts a run straight away.
Does it save?
Yes, in your own browser: your coins, best stage, best score, the axes you own, the bosses you have beaten and your sound setting. Clearing your browser's site data clears the save.