Strata
Slice the hidden 3D shape and reconstruct it from its cross-sections.👆
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Play to set a score, then submit it to the board.
About Strata
Strata is deduction in three dimensions: assembling a solid object in your head from flat cross-sections. Hidden in a cube of voxels is a shape built from a few overlapping rectangular blocks. You cannot see it, but you can cut it — pick the X, Y or Z axis and a layer, and that single plane comes back as a grid of filled and empty cells. Cuts are rationed. Easy hides two blocks in a 4×4×4 cube and allows six slices; Normal, which is also the daily puzzle, buries three blocks in 5×5×5 with eight; Hard packs four into 6×6×6 with ten. You paint your answer layer by layer and submit it. An exact match earns 1,000 points plus up to 1,000 more for the slices you never spent, while every wrong submission costs 150 and you only get three or four tries. Run out or give up and you still bank up to 400 for how closely your guess overlaps the real shape, and the solution is then shown so you can see where your reasoning slipped. Beginners slice along one axis like a loaf of bread. Better players cross-cut, remember that every piece is a box whose faces must line up, and read empty cells as evidence too.
How to play
- A 3D shape is hidden somewhere inside the cube grid — you cannot see it directly.
- Query a slice along any axis and layer to reveal that single layer as a flat grid of filled and empty cells.
- Use the cross-sections you have gathered to build your best guess of the full 3D shape, layer by layer.
- Submit your guess to check it against the hidden shape — an exact match wins, and giving up early still scores partial credit for how close you got.
Strategy & tips
- Slice along different axes early — an X-axis slice and a Y-axis slice of the same layer reveal different information about the same region.
- A cross-section rules out every cell that is empty in it, not just confirms the cells that are filled — use the negative space too.
- You have a limited number of slices, so prioritize the layers most likely to disambiguate between the shapes you are still considering.
- Partial credit rewards a close guess, so if you run low on slices, submit your best reconstruction rather than guessing wildly.
FAQ
How do you play Strata?
Query slices along the X, Y, or Z axis to reveal flat cross-sections of the hidden 3D shape, then paint your guess onto the voxel grid layer by layer and submit it.
What happens if I run out of slices?
You can still submit your best guess or give up — either way you score partial credit based on how close your guess is to the actual hidden shape.
Can I play a fresh puzzle every day?
Yes — Daily mode gives everyone the same seeded shape each day, with a streak counter for playing on consecutive days. Practice mode gives you a fresh random shape at any difficulty.