Learning how to play ODDLOOP starts with two gestures: a loop that rescues Churrs and an open line that gives them some protection. Both begin with your finger on the pond. What matters is where the stroke goes and whether you join its ends before lifting your finger.
The round gives you a score target, a countdown and three lives. Your aim is to meet the target and still have a life when time runs out. You can keep scoring after reaching the target, so a good opening catch is the beginning of a round rather than its finish.
Make your first rescue
Look for a small group with clear water around it. Begin just outside the group, draw around the Churrs and bring the stroke back towards its starting point. An uneven outline is fine. Give the moving group enough room without wrapping half the pond inside it.
When the outline turns blue, the game recognises a closed loop. Lift your finger to release it. Churrs inside a successful catch dissolve into points, and the round score changes. The blue outline confirms the shape; you still need to keep dangerous Burrs outside it.
For your first few attempts, choose a clear group over an ambitious catch. Watch where the Churrs are going, then draw a simple route around them. Following every little movement with an extra bend often makes the stroke longer and harder to finish.
Keep the spiky ones outside
Learn begins with Amber Burrs. They are obstacles to avoid in your catches, even though they do not have the later hunters' attacks. Drawing a loop that catches a dangerous Burr costs a life. A little clear water between your intended loop and its spikes is a useful habit from Level 1.
Suppose a Burr is drifting beside the group you wanted. You can wait for a clearer opening, rescue a different group or draw a protective line first. Trying to squeeze a catch through a closing gap is a choice, rather than something every round requires.
Draw a line to buy time
An open stroke has another job. Draw between a threat and the Churrs, leave the ends apart, then lift your finger. A usable stroke becomes a temporary herding line instead of a catch.
The line helps interrupt an approach and gives you room to plan the rescue. It does not award catch points, and it will fade. Use the time it creates: look at the protected group, check the nearest Burr and draw your next loop while the opening is useful.
There is a short recharge between herding lines. Loops remain available during that recharge, so you can protect, release, then rescue without waiting for another barrier.
Watch ink, time and lives
The ink meter shows the allowance for the stroke you are drawing. Long detours use it up, and holding a drawing open for too long can let the ink dry. Finish with a controlled motion, lift, and begin the next stroke with a fresh allowance.
Keep glancing at your lives and countdown between catches. Reaching the target brings a clear signal, but you must protect that score and finish with at least one life. Losing every life ends the attempt even if the target was reached earlier.
The Home screen's How to play section lets you watch the gestures before trying them again. Start with a modest loop, learn what the blue outline means, and give yourself a few rounds to find your rhythm. Your line can wobble. The rescue can still be a good one.