Paper toss, online and free

How the paper toss works

Press the paper ball at the bottom of the screen, drag your finger the opposite way and let go. The further you pull, the harder it flies. A row of dots shows how the throw leaves your hand, so the first few tries teach you the arc quickly.

There is no timer and no penalty for missing. Throw again until it drops in, then decide whether the next level or a cleaner throw is worth more to you.

Why a paper ball is harder than it looks

Crumpled paper is light and catches the air, so it slows down more than anything else you can throw. A gentle breeze that a rubber ball would ignore pushes paper well off line.

It also barely bounces. A paper ball that hits the far wall drops where it lands, and one that clips the rim glances off to the side its centre was on. Aim for the middle of the opening and give it a high arc rather than a flat, fast throw.

• Throw high: a steep arc drops into the bin instead of skidding across it.
• Watch the wind arrow and the drifting specks before you throw.
• A throw that just misses long usually needs a shorter pull, not a different angle.

Beyond the office bin

The office is the first of 9 scenes. After it come a classroom, a kitchen, a park, a rooftop, a gym, a cafe, a street and a beach, each with its own objects and targets: cans and bottles, snowballs and water balloons, cups, hoops, open windows and target boards. Shelves block the way, bouncers throw things back up, and fans blow them upwards.

Play it anywhere

The game is built for a phone held upright and works just as well with a mouse on a laptop. It runs in the browser, so there is nothing to download and no account to make, and once it has loaded it keeps working offline.

Questions