← All posts · Michael Baffour Awuah
Two thumbs. One rope.
Fastest math wins.
Number Tug is an arithmetic tug-of-war you play on a single device. Answer problems fast and the rope slides your way — solo, two players on one keyboard, or against the CPU.
Insert coin
Everything packed into the cabinet
Three ways to play, five operations, three difficulties — plus the small stuff that makes a match feel alive.
Solo runs
Clear a ten-question run against the rope on your own. Just you, the arithmetic, and a stubborn length of rope.
Two players, one keyboard
Share a single screen. Each player guards their own side and taps or types the answers from their half of the board.
Versus the CPU
No second human handy? Player 1 answers while the computer works the other end of the rope.
Speed & streak bonuses
Fast correct answers pull harder, and back-to-back correct answers build a streak bonus. Hesitation costs you ground.
Five operations, three tiers
Add, subtract, multiply, divide, or mixed — across Easy, Medium, and Hard timers and number ranges.
Sound, music & haptics
WebAudio blips for hits, misses and wins, plus vibration on supported phones. Sound and music toggle separately, with a graceful fallback where haptics aren't available.
Split-keyboard controls
Player 1 answers with A S D F, Player 2 with J K L ; — four keys per side for the four multiple-choice answers.
Names, avatars & a test
Pick your name and face before the match, then run the sound and haptic test with one button so nothing surprises you mid-game.
High scores & scoreboard
Personal bests and a running scoreboard persist in your browser via localStorage — no account, nothing installed.
Player 1 · Player 2
Split the keyboard, guard your side
Four answer choices, four keys. Two people can rest their hands at opposite ends of the same board and never reach across.
Match flow
How a round plays out
From setup to victory in four moves — no manual required.
Set up the match
Pick solo, two players, or vs-CPU. Choose an operation and difficulty, then name your player and pick a face.
A problem appears with four choices
An arithmetic problem shows up with four answer buttons. Tap the right one — or press its key, A S D F for P1, J K L ; for P2 — before the timer bites.
Right answers pull the rope
Each correct answer tugs the rope toward you. Answer fast and string together a streak to pull even harder; wrong answers and timeouts nudge it back.
Yank it over the line
Keep the pressure on until the rope crosses to your side. Your best runs land on the scoreboard — then, of course, demand a rematch.
▸ Ready player one
Grab a friend and a keyboard.
Or race the clock solo. It opens in the browser, it's free, and the loser always wants a rematch.