Arclight: Crystals of Refraction 2026

In Arclight: Crystals of Refraction, players are researchers competing to map a subterranean cavern made of hexagonal grids and filled with hidden, light-bending gemstones.

The game offers two distinct modes of play:

Mode 1: Turn-Based Strategy

On Your Turn: Choose an entry point along the cavern's edge and fire a light beam across the hexagonal grids. Observe where the beam exits and analyze the color spectrum gathered along its path through the hexes to record clues on your deduction sheet.

Winning: Players take turns probing the board until someone believes they have deduced the complete crystal placement. The first player to make a correct final declaration wins!

Mode 2: Simultaneous Real-Time Puzzle

Gameplay: All players start with the exact same set of optical test data—a full report of beam entry points, exit locations, and refracted color spectra moving across the hexagonal grids. Working simultaneously without turns, players race to reconstruct the hidden layout.

Winning: A pure race of spatial logic and color analysis! The first player to correctly submit the complete crystal distribution wins immediately.

-description from designer