Play Loftwind • Free

The courses are grouped into Barley Rise, Turnback Vale, Gusty Downs, Veering Skies and Long Crossing, six in each. Each chapter brings in one new idea: calm winds first, then strong winds blowing backwards with rings placed behind earlier ones, then gusts that swell and fade, then winds that change speed and even direction over time, and finally all of them together.

Courses grow from three wind bands and four rings to up to six bands and eight smaller rings, with three to five rival balloons. Finishing a course unlocks the next, and each chapter has its own light, from a golden afternoon to a deep sunset.

Each course was flown by a planner using the game's own physics before it was kept, which proves every ring can be reached. Par is the planner's time plus 15 percent, since the planner flies perfectly.

The rival balloons each fly in their own style, some careful and some bold, and their pace is set course by course. On the early courses matching par is usually enough to win; on the later ones, first place takes a run better than par.

Stars unlock five more envelope patterns for your balloon, from bands and chevrons to a sunburst and polka dots. Choose one on the Balloon screen.

Your best run on each course is kept and flies alongside you as a faint ghost balloon the next time you race it, so you can see exactly where you gained or lost time.

Your stars, best time and ghost on each course, your balloon pattern, your sound setting and whether you have seen the how-to are saved on Unihfy Games in this browser.

Your score here is your total number of stars, out of 90.