Hexdown: the wizard duel game for iPhone and Android

The game

Your phone is the wand.

A face-to-face wizard duel, one phone per wizard. Draw a spell in the air, watch your rival, and block with what beats it.

Draw the sign in the air

Dip the tip, then rise in the element's shape: Fire zigzags, Storm whirls, Frost glides and freezes.

Watch them, not the screen

Sound and a buzz confirm every cast. Your screen is a glow for you alone, and your rival reads your body.

Block with what beats it

Storm blows out Fire, Frost freezes Storm, Fire melts Frost. Parry in the right one and throw it back.

Spellbook preview

Three elements and the moon

Every spell starts with a dip and rises back up. The shape of the rise is the element; its size is free.

Fire

Dip, zigzag rising, then a straight pull up into the hold over your shoulder.

Charge: More zags in the same rise
Levels: SparkFlameInferno
Rewards: Sharp: crisp corners, straight strokes
Beats: Frost: it melts it
Beaten by: Storm
Sounds: A torch catching, then crackling, then sparking like crazy

Storm

Dip, loops rising and widening like a tornado, then a lasso sideways round behind you.

Charge: More loops in the same rise
Levels: GustStormWhirlwind
Rewards: Smooth: round, even loops
Beats: Fire: it blows it out
Beaten by: Frost
Sounds: Whirling wind, then far thunder, then a true thunderstorm

Frost

Dip, flick up, glide slowly and freeze level, pointing at them.

Charge: Hold the freeze
Levels: CrystalShardsBlizzard
Rewards: Calm: a steady slowdown, a still freeze
Beats: Storm: it freezes it
Beaten by: Fire
Sounds: Ice forming, then cracking, then silence

Moonstrike

Dip, one big circle in front of you like a clock face, then cast.

When: Your wand glows gold. The meter fills when you block perfectly or get hit.
Does: All three elements at once, once per round
Extra circles: Only wait, never charge
Best block: Parry in the element you resist: it halves it

Cast and parry

Cast

Like a fishing rod: from the hold over your shoulder, behind your back or out to the side, one fast stroke onto them, stopping there.

It fires the spell you loaded. With nothing loaded you only hear a click.

Parry

A sideways S zigzag across your front, top to bottom, just as the spell lands.

It blocks with your stance: the element of your last sign.

Who beats whom

Parry in the element that beats the incoming spell: you block it completely, then throw it back.

Same element never blocks. But every hit makes you resist it more, and more open to what beats it.

vsPerfect blockParry in what beats it: nothing gets through, and you can throw it back.

vsHalf blockThe third element: half of it still hits you.

vsNo blockThe same element never blocks.

Rulebook preview

From apprentice to master, one page at a time

You know the spells; now the duel. Twelve pages in three ranks, each one rule and one scene: watch it from your own eyes, or fly up to the Gamemaster's eye and see what nobody in the room can.

Every beat of this scene

Every number in these scenes comes from the game's own tuning.

Before your first duel

What you need

A phone per wizard

iPhone or Android: they duel each other. To learn and practise, one phone is enough.

Room to move

About 2 m clear around each wizard. Grip the bottom half, fingers wrapped.

Sound up

Spells speak through sound. No internet, no accounts, no ads. Free.

Does it need the internet?

No. The phones talk over Bluetooth, right there in the room.

Can an iPhone duel an Android phone?

Yes. Both apps run the same rules, so the duel is fair either way.

What does Hexdown collect?

Nothing. No account, no ads, no analytics. Your motion is read on your phone and stays there. The privacy page has the details.

Is it safe for kids?

Keep 2 m clear and move like a wizard: clear and flowing, never violent. A violent swing earns a warning and a weaker spell.

More help: Bluetooth, sound, and sending us a recording of your sign ›