games

// play(); rest();

When the round ends, that's enough for today.

A round is short enough to finish within your break.

  • Iltonggi
  • Inkisle
  • Sunmeld
  • Claimball

01How ipe makes games

ipe is short for idle process: the state a processor finally settles into when there is nothing left to do. The rest in ipe.rest comes from there. Our games are not meant to be quiet games. Strategy and duels still make you think. What connects them to rest is that a game should not take over your break, it should sit down inside it. The end of a round is clear, the rules do not ask for a long explanation, nothing nags you to log in or cuts in with an ad, and we say what we have promised and what we do not know yet.

  1. 01

    Short rounds that fit a break

    A round should end in minutes, and closing the app should never cost you.

    Kept by

    • Iltonggi
    • Inkisle
    • Claimball
  2. 02

    Few rules, deep reading

    If the rules don't fit on one page, the game is asking too much.

    Kept by

    • Iltonggi
    • Inkisle
    • Sunmeld
    • Claimball
  3. 03

    A quiet app

    No streak nagging, no ads, no accounts, no tracking.

    Kept by

    • Iltonggi
    • Inkisle
    • Sunmeld
    • Claimball
  4. 04

    Say what's true, including what isn't

    If it's not released, we say so. If we haven't checked, we say that too.

    Kept by

    • Iltonggi
    • Inkisle
    • Sunmeld
    • Claimball
  5. 05

    The AI plays fair

    Comebacks come from the rules, not from a secretly weakened opponent.

    Kept by

    • Iltonggi
    • Inkisle
    • Sunmeld
    • Claimball

02Four games

None of them is released yet, and none has a store page. Each card shows what the game is, what you will like, and who it is not for.

Iltonggi

一統記

Coming soon iPhone first

A short, fast, classic territory-conquest strategy game set in Korea's Three Kingdoms era.

No ads, no tracking

What you will like

  1. One round that fits a break. A round takes 5 to 10 minutes, closing the app saves your game automatically, and nothing nags you to log in every day.
  2. A map you only know as far as you can see. Land you have not visited stays in the fog until you send a spy. You can step into a battle with direct command, or leave it to auto.
  3. A quiet, open app. It collects no personal information, has no ads or tracking, and its core features work offline. The game's site is available in 11 languages.

Not for you if

  1. If you want fast, real-time play. Iltonggi is turn-based, so the weight is on choosing where to strike, not on reaction speed.
  2. If you want to play on Android right now. The iPhone version comes first and other platforms will be announced later. The Three Kingdoms is a setting, not a history lesson: the game's terms say it may differ from historical fact.

Official site: Iltonggi Blog: Making-of Terms of use

Inkisle

InkIsle

In development iOS first, Android alongside

A light island-conquest strategy game for your phone: send fleets between islands and tint the sea your color.

Every round free · no ads · optional help items

What you will like

  1. A few minutes, one hand. A round takes 3 to 5 minutes, and in portrait you just drag with your thumb. No account and no network needed.
  2. The rules fit on one page. Islands make troops, and a larger force arriving takes the island. So a won round does not drag on, it ends once you are clearly ahead.
  3. Readable even if you cannot tell the colors apart. Each side has its own color and flag shape. Clear a round and the next one opens, and every sea adds one rule.

Not for you if

  1. If you want a story and characters. Inkisle has no story on purpose. The fun is in taking islands and wanting to open the next sea.
  2. If you want slow turn-based play, or to compete online right now. A round flows in real time, and online play will be decided later, based on how players respond.

Official site: Inkisle Journal: Making-of

Sunmeld

Space Merge Duel

In development iOS and Android

A merge duel against an AI opponent in one shared tub. Drop a stone, merge matching stones into the next stage, and score. Overflow the tub and you lose.

Free to try, one purchase unlocks everything, no ads

What you will like

  1. Four lines of rules. Take turns dropping stones, matching stages merge, whoever merges scores, and if the tub overflows the player who placed the last stone loses.
  2. The shape you stack becomes your opponent's space. You share one tub, so there is a taste of working out what you leave behind.
  3. Every opponent has its own habits. The same tub plays out differently each time. It is free to try, one purchase unlocks everything, and there are no ads.

Not for you if

  1. If you want to build your own records or play against friends. Every match is a duel against an AI opponent, so it feels different from a puzzle where you chase a high score, or from playing people.
  2. If you expect a brand-new kind of game. Dropping and merging is a familiar kind of game. What is different here is the one tub you share and the AI you duel.

Official site: Sunmeld Journal: Making-of Terms of use

Claimball

Coming soon iOS and Android

A casual duel against an AI rival on a notebook grid. The tile where your ball bounces becomes your land. Miss, and you lose land.

Free to try. One purchase unlocks everything. No ads, no subscription.

What you will like

  1. About 90 seconds a match. It fits even a short gap, and the last seconds are a showdown. (A pre-launch proposal, so it may change.)
  2. A board you read at a glance. On a 6 by 10 notebook grid, your tiles and your rival's are split by color. A smash with the center of your paddle claims 3 tiles at once.
  3. Your rivals raise the level. At launch there are 6 AI rivals across 2 leagues (a pre-launch proposal, so it may change), with more planned in updates. Free to try. One purchase unlocks everything. No ads, no subscription.

Not for you if

  1. If busy-handed games are a burden. You return the ball in real time, so it differs from a game you can think through at leisure.
  2. If you want to play people online. Every match is you against an AI rival.

Official site: Claimball Journal: Making-of Terms of use

03Side by side

From each game's official site and current plans. Details may change before launch. A dash means the site does not say.

Side by side
GameIltonggiInkisleSunmeldClaimball
In a few wordsThree Kingdoms land grabIsland and ink conquestSpace-stone merge duelClaiming land on a notebook
StyleTurn-based strategyReal-time strategyDuel in alternating turnsReal-time ball duel
One round5 to 10 minutes3 to 5 minutes—About 90 seconds (pre-launch proposal, may change)
DifficultyChoose your kingdom and difficultyEach new sea adds one ruleEach opponent has its own habits6 AI rivals in 2 leagues at launch (pre-launch proposal, may change), more in updates
Solo or with othersSolo, against the AISolo and offline. Online play will be decided later1 on 1 against the AI1 on 1 against the AI
PlatformiPhone firstiOS first, Android alongsideiOS and Android, in developmentiOS and Android, coming soon
OfflineCore features work offline (only the weather is optionally online)Offline, no account——
PricingNo ads, no trackingEvery round free · no ads · optional help itemsFree to try, one purchase unlocks everything, no adsFree to try. One purchase unlocks everything. No ads, no subscription.
Site languages1112English, KoreanEnglish, Korean
StatusComing soon. TestFlight builds in progressIn development. TestFlight builds in progressIn developmentComing soon, release date not set

Iltonggi

In a few words
Three Kingdoms land grab
Style
Turn-based strategy
One round
5 to 10 minutes
Difficulty
Choose your kingdom and difficulty
Solo or with others
Solo, against the AI
Platform
iPhone first
Offline
Core features work offline (only the weather is optionally online)
Pricing
No ads, no tracking
Site languages
11
Status
Coming soon. TestFlight builds in progress

Inkisle

In a few words
Island and ink conquest
Style
Real-time strategy
One round
3 to 5 minutes
Difficulty
Each new sea adds one rule
Solo or with others
Solo and offline. Online play will be decided later
Platform
iOS first, Android alongside
Offline
Offline, no account
Pricing
Every round free · no ads · optional help items
Site languages
12
Status
In development. TestFlight builds in progress

Sunmeld

In a few words
Space-stone merge duel
Style
Duel in alternating turns
One round
—
Difficulty
Each opponent has its own habits
Solo or with others
1 on 1 against the AI
Platform
iOS and Android, in development
Offline
—
Pricing
Free to try, one purchase unlocks everything, no ads
Site languages
English, Korean
Status
In development

Claimball

In a few words
Claiming land on a notebook
Style
Real-time ball duel
One round
About 90 seconds (pre-launch proposal, may change)
Difficulty
6 AI rivals in 2 leagues at launch (pre-launch proposal, may change), more in updates
Solo or with others
1 on 1 against the AI
Platform
iOS and Android, coming soon
Offline
—
Pricing
Free to try. One purchase unlocks everything. No ads, no subscription.
Site languages
English, Korean
Status
Coming soon, release date not set

No game here is played together with friends yet. Every one is solo or against an AI.

04Which one fits?

Pick by the kind of break you have.

05How it is made

Every game keeps a public making-of. It is also where we say, plainly, what is not finished or not checked yet.

06About ipe()

ipe() is a small AI-native studio that builds quiet things for busy minds. The name is short for idle process, and the studio says openly where it uses AI. This portal collects its games in one place. The studio's other product is idle, calm lo-fi music.

ipe.rest, the studio idle.ipe.rest, the music Write to us

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