The basics
After the ticket gate you see three routes: the left escalator, the right escalator and the stairs. Watch who is in line and tap the route that gets you up first, before time runs out. Hesitate and the crowd pushes you into the slowest route.
The top of the screen shows the clock and how many seconds until the train leaves. After you choose, all three routes play out in fast-forward so you can see which one arrived first.
How long an escalator takes
An escalator takes "the time everyone in line needs to step on" plus "the ride itself" (7 seconds at a normal station, 13 at a deep one). Both escalators are the same length, so the line alone decides which is faster. Who is in line matters more than how many.
| Who is in line | How to spot them | Effect on the line |
|---|---|---|
| Regular commuter | — | About 0.9 s each |
| Phone zombie | Glowing light-blue screen | Slow to step on (about 2×) |
| Big suitcase | Pulling a brown suitcase | Takes two steps and fumbles (about 3×) |
| School group | A cluster of navy uniforms | Moves smoothly for its size (about half) |
| Elderly / stroller | White hair and a cane, or a stroller | Small effect on escalators, a big jam on stairs |
| Lost tourist | Unfolded map and a "?" | Stops at the entrance (about 4×) |
| Personal-space keeper | A dotted gap in front of them | Less efficient (about 2×) |
| Hurried office worker | Navy suit, red tie | Floods the stairs |
Stairs and stamina
Stair speed depends on the crowd and your stamina. Climbing stairs drains stamina (more at deep stations), and riding an escalator restores some. With low stamina you can drop to half speed, so taking the stairs again and again is risky. On rainy days the stairs are slippery and even slower.
Events
- Under inspection: one escalator is stopped. You walk up it like stairs (tall steps make it a bit slower)
- Train arriving: a crowd hits every line while you are deciding. Deciding early pays off
- Rainy day: umbrellas slow boarding a little, and stairs get slower
- Stand on both sides: people stand on both sides of the escalator, so lines move faster
- Local rule: people stand on the left in Tokyo and on the right in Osaka. Same tactics, mirrored
- Walk lane: the empty lane with footprints is for walkers. In this game you never walk on escalators, so picking it is bad manners
Scoring
| Result | When | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Best | You picked the fastest of the three | +100 + 10 per spare second. A streak of Bests multiplies it, up to 2× |
| Safe | Not the fastest, but you made the train | +50 |
| Missed | You missed the train | 0. Late gauge +1 and the clock jumps 3 minutes |
| Bad manners | You picked the walk lane | −50 |
The game ends when the late gauge fills up (3 missed trains) or the clock passes 9:00. Each train ride between stations takes 6 minutes.
Stages
| Stage | Stations | Time to decide | What appears |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day One (Tutorial) | 1 | 3 s | Just count the people |
| Weekday | 3 | 2 s | Phones, suitcases, groups |
| Rainy Monday | 3 | 2 s | Rain and crowd waves |
| Business Trip to Osaka | 3 | 1.5 s | Stand-right rule, tourists, stand on both sides |
| Fiscal Year-End | 5 | 1.2 s | Everything, with frequent inspections |
| Endless | ∞ | Starts at 2 s and shrinks | Random. For high scores |
The result screen shows your arrival time, best-pick rate and a title ("Line Reader", "Stairs Person", "Always Late" and more), and you can post it on X. Your best score for each stage is saved in your browser.
Controls
On a phone, tap the left, middle or right of the screen. On a computer you can also use ← ↑ → (or 1, 2, 3).