SHARK
THIEF
LOADING...
SHARK THIEF
OCEAN ARCADE
BEST0
THIS WILL END YOUR CURRENT DIVE
DEPTH SELECT
CHOOSE A STARTING DEPTH
THIS WILL END YOUR CURRENT DIVE
TIME00:00
SCORE0
LV TIME00:00
YOU DIED
TOTAL POINTS: 0
(POINTS² ÷ TIME)
LEADERBOARD
SHARK THIEF| # | NAME | HIGH SCORE | TIME (DATE) |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOADING... | |||
SETTINGS
COLORBLIND MODEGrid lines only
HAPTIC FEEDBACKVibration on move
WATER SHIMMERAnimated light on tiles
SPEED RUN MODEShow timers during play
⚠ DEV — JUMP TO DEPTH
SHARK THIEF iOS v0.1.0 — WEB PROTOTYPE
DEPTH 1
THE SHALLOWS
► HOW IT WORKS
YOU MOVE 1→ENEMY WAITS
—
PLAYER GUIDE
SHARK THIEF
Navigate a shark through a grid ocean, collecting coins and rare shells while staying ahead of enemies that spawn every time you score. Casual players can dive in immediately — move, grab coins, survive. Strategic players can use the rules to plan routes and maximize their Shark Score. Both audiences are playing the same game.
► HOW TO PLAY
MOVEArrow keys or D-pad — one cell per turn.
COINSCollect gold squares for +1 pt. Each coin spawns an enemy.
ENEMIESHunt you. Move 1 step every 2 player moves. Touch = game over.
DEPTHEarn 100 pts within a depth to descend to the next one. The counter resets each depth.
SHELLEach depth has a unique shell with a special mechanic. Tap [DEPTH ?] in-game for details.
► SCORING
SCOREPoints earned in a single run. Coins = 1 pt. Shells = variable.
HIGH SCOREYour best single-run Score ever recorded.
SHARK SCORESCORE² ÷ TIME (sec). Doubling your score quadruples it. Cutting time in half doubles it.
TOTAL TIMEWall-clock seconds from game start until death.
▶ TIPS & STRATEGY
STRATEGIC LAYER
ENEMIESEvery coin you grab spawns a new enemy — the board gets harder fast. Pick coins deliberately, not greedily.
CORALAt Depth 2, coral barriers are permanent. Plan routes before the board fills up.
EFFICIENCYShark Score rewards points AND speed. Being efficient beats grinding a high score slowly.
PATHINGEnemies step toward you every 2 moves — move laterally, not straight back. A perpendicular escape creates angles; a straight retreat compresses the gap.
SCORING FORMULA
SHARK SCORE
► THE FORMULA
FORMULASHARK SCORE = SCORE² ÷ TIME (seconds)
EXAMPLEScore 250 in 90s → 250² ÷ 90 = 694
► DESIGN INTENT
HIGH SCOREMatters most — doubling your score quadruples Shark Score.
FAST TIMEActs as a multiplier — cutting time in half doubles Shark Score.
BALANCEA high score at average speed still ranks well. Neither extreme dominates.
► ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREDYou must start the run at Depth 1 — The Shallows. A Shark Score is not generated at all for runs that begin at any other depth.
WHYThe formula measures score versus total time from the very beginning. Starting mid-game would produce an artificially inflated score that can't fairly compare to full runs.
► NOTE
TUNABLEThe exponent (currently 2) may be adjusted as the game grows to keep the leaderboard meaningful across all score ranges.