Arcade guide
Cat Swing Tips: Why Identical Holds Never Get Past 2 Points
Key takeaways
- You press and hold to swing the cat on its rope and let go to fly across the gap.
- Twelve short holds of 0.18 seconds gave best scores of 2, 0 and 1 in three games.
- Twelve long holds of 0.7 seconds gave best scores of 2, 0 and 0 in three games.
- Holding for the same time every try never got past 2 points, so the release has to match the swing.
The first cat swing tip is to match your release to the swing: in Pawswing twelve identical holds never scored more than 2 points, whether they were short (best scores 2, 0 and 1) or long (2, 0 and 0). A fixed hold length is not a plan.
How the game works
Pawswing is a one-touch arcade game in a tall, phone-style column. A cat hangs from a rope between two cliffs. You press and hold to swing, then let go to fly across the gap and land on the next cliff. The score at the top goes up as you cross, and purple gems float over the gaps. If the cat misses the cliff it falls.
What we measured
We played in a test browser at 1280 by 800 pixels. In each game we made twelve identical holds, one every 1.1 seconds, each either 0.18 seconds or 0.7 seconds long, and then read the best score on the start screen. We played three games for each hold length.
| Hold length | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.18 seconds | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 0.7 seconds | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Three games per hold length in one test browser, with a software renderer; these are directions, not rules.
What is on the screen
The top shows the score. The cat and its rope sit in the middle, with a gap between two cliffs. The start screen shows the title, your best score and a green play button. A score panel appears after a fall.
4 tips that follow from the numbers
- Do not repeat one hold length. Neither the short nor the long hold got past 2 points.
- Watch the rope. Let go when the swing points at the next cliff.
- Treat gems as a bonus. Cross the gap first, then think about gems.
- Restart quickly. A new game takes a single tap on play.
Where to try it
Try it yourself in Pawswing. For another one-touch game where timing counts, Hoplane is a lane-hopping arcade game.
Frequently asked questions
How do you swing the cat in Pawswing?
Press and hold the mouse button or your finger, then let go to fly.
What happened with short holds?
Twelve holds of 0.18 seconds gave best scores of 2, 0 and 1 in three games.
What happened with long holds?
Twelve holds of 0.7 seconds gave best scores of 2, 0 and 0 in three games.
What does that tell us?
A fixed hold length does not work; the release has to follow the swing.
How does a game end?
When the cat misses the cliff and falls.
Does Pawswing work on a phone?
It is a tall column built for touch; we tested it with a mouse.