your birthday island

three doors

the front page has your name on it, photos of you, and the way in. from there it's three places: the board, the island and the festival. there's no order. most people read the board first, cry a bit, then go and find everyone on the island.

the board

every card your friends left, taped to one big scrapbook wall. tap a card to open it: the message, their photos and doodles, and their clip if they filmed one. use the arrows (or the arrow keys) to flip from one card to the next. if the wall looks too chaotic, there's a tidy-up mode that lines everything up.

the island

a little 3d island where every friend who left a card is a blob wearing their selfie. you're the blob in the party hat.

• walk: WASD or the arrow keys on a laptop; the thumb stick on a phone.
• say hi: walk up to a friend and press E (or tap the button). they'll attack you with their doodles, lovingly, then their message types out on a paper card.
• keep going: press E or tap for the next line; their photos and clip come after the message.
• find everyone: friends you haven't hugged yet have a sticker floating over their heads, and a counter shows how many you've found.

the giant cake in the middle lights a candle for every friend you hug. light them all.

the festival

12 booths around the island, and you're the star of every one. walk up to a booth and press E to play it right there, or open the festival page for the full list with your best scores. once three or more friends have left cards, they show up in the games too: rivals, targets, the crowd.

every round is about a minute and nothing can be lost. rounds earn LOVE and stickers for your sticker sheet, which is mostly an excuse to play one more. the games page has the full list.

sound, motion and phones

• sound: there's an original little soundtrack. it stays off until you tap it on, and there's a mute button everywhere.
• motion: if your device is set to reduce motion, the site calms down: fewer tilts, no confetti storms, the same party.
• phones: everything works on a phone. on a slower one, the island quietly turns its detail down to keep moving smoothly.

little things worth knowing

• take your time. nothing on the island is timed, and friends wait where they are until you find them.
• follow the signposts. the wooden signs around the island point toward friends and places.
• listen. each part of the island has its own little tune, so you can hear where you are.
• stop whenever. the island remembers which friends you've hugged on this device, so you can pick up again later.
• share it. it's better with someone watching: share your screen on a call, or hand a friend your phone.
• late cards turn up too. a friend who signs after you've looked around appears on the board and the island the next time you open it.

after today

the site doesn't disappear tomorrow. late friends can usually still add cards for a while (how long depends on the host's plan), and you can come back to the board and the island whenever you want. your host can download every card and clip as a keepsake. and when you want to say thank you, the board shows who left every card, so you know exactly who to message.