The one rule that matters: memory is built by pulling words out of your head, not by reading them again. Every mechanic below exists to make you retrieve, over and over, with just enough help to succeed.
1 · Your keyboard is the sword. There is no aiming. To fire, type the first letter of the next word you remember — the turret aims itself. You can't press "w" for "worry" without first summoning "worry" from memory, so every keystroke is a genuine act of recall. Say each word out loud as you strike it — your own voice is the teacher; the game's voice is just the echo.
2 · References are typed, not picked. Every round opens and closes with the reference — Book, chapter, verse, typed from memory into three slots. Miss it twice and the truth appears so you can lock it in by typing it correctly. In review, a fumbled reference triggers a sniper round: tell the real one from evil near-misses (4:7, 6:4, right numbers wrong book), then re-type the truth.
3 · Three passes, less help each time.
★ Learn — read each phrase out loud at your own pace (Space stamps it in), then strike the phrases with the full verse on screen. No rush, ever.
★★ Hints — type each next word's first letter with a first-letter skeleton to lean on.
★★★ Recall — same, but the skeleton is gone. 90%+ accuracy = mastered.
Miss a word twice and it shows itself — a failed attempt plus the answer still teaches. Shrinking help ("fading cues") is the best-proven trick there is for word-perfect memory.
4 · Every verse lives somewhere. 17 rooms, The Gate to The Throne Room, ten verses each, one image per verse. Before you launch, actually SEE the picture on the preview for two seconds — when you're blanking mid-Recall, the room and the image are how you'll find your way back.
5 · Sealing is spoken. Mastering a verse schedules reviews on expanding-then-steady intervals (1 → 3 → 7 → 21 → 30 days). But a verse only earns its ✓ seal by full out-loud recital — reference and all, self-graded honestly — on 3 separate days. Typing letters proves you're close; saying the whole thing proves it's yours.
6 · One button a night. Tonight's Drill runs your due reviews plus one learning round in about 7 minutes. Your streak earns a 🛡 grace shield every 7 days, so one chaotic night never burns months. Sealed verses unlock the 🕹 Arcade — pure speed runs, just for fun.
Controls: A–Z strike first letters · digits + Enter for references · Space advance / reveal · Esc pause (then Q quits) · Enter confirms overlays.