How to play

The expedition descends one chamber at a time. Each chamber holds one emoji rebus — a phrase, title or saying written in up to six glyphs on a sandstone wall.

Only 2 glyphs show when a chamber opens. Every few seconds the chisel strikes another one in. The fewer glyphs on the wall when you solve it, the more it pays.

Type as many guesses as you like — they're fuzzy-matched, so close spelling counts. Wrong guesses show to the whole room as redacted ink bars: everyone sees WHO is scribbling, never what. The bars even lie about length.

Solve at 2 glyphs and bank 300 points; wait for the full wall and it's 100. The first solver in the room takes +50 on top. Committing early on a half-read wall is the whole game.

Once the wall is fully inscribed it stands at the floor tariff for a short grace. Solve it or the sand takes the chamber — the answer surfaces, and nobody scores.

Your banked points carry through every chamber of the descent. After the last chamber the expedition's standings are read — the sharpest decipherer takes it.