How to play
Paddle Duel is a two-paddle, one-ball game in the spirit of the very first video games. A ball flies back and forth across a dark court. Slide your paddle along your edge of the court to bounce the ball back. If it gets past you, your opponent scores. The first player to reach the target score wins the match.
Choose a mode first. 1 Player pits you against the computer at Easy, Medium or Hard. 2 Players lets two people share one device. Wall is solo practice against a solid wall: keep the longest rally you can. On a wide screen the court lies sideways, with paddles left and right. On a portrait phone it stands upright, with your paddle at the bottom and the opponent at the top, so two people can play from opposite ends of one phone.
Rules
- A point is scored when the ball passes the opponent's paddle. The match goes to 5, 11 or 21 points, as you choose.
- With Win by 2 switched on, a player who reaches the target must also lead by two points. At 5–4 the match simply continues.
- Every serve starts after a short countdown. The ball is served towards the player who just lost the point.
- The ball gains a little speed with every paddle hit, up to a cap, and drops back to its starting speed after each point.
- In Wall practice each paddle hit adds one to your rally. A miss ends it, and your best five rallies are saved with their dates.
- Power mode (off by default) adds an occasional pick-up floating in the court. The player who hit the ball last collects it when the ball passes through. L makes your paddle longer for nine seconds, F makes every ball 30% faster for seven seconds, and 2 releases an extra ball towards your opponent. An extra ball scores like any other. Classic mode has no pick-ups.
Controls
- Keyboard: in 1 Player and Wall use W/S or ↑/↓ (on the upright court also A/D or ←/→). In 2 Players the left or bottom player uses W/S and the right or top player uses the arrow keys, and both can hold keys at the same time. P or Esc pauses, Enter or Space starts and serves.
- Mouse: with Mouse follow on, your paddle follows the pointer while it is over the court.
- Touch: drag anywhere on the court. The paddle moves by the distance your finger moves, so your finger never hides it. In 2 Players each half of the court belongs to one player, and both halves work at the same time.
How the bounce angle works
The ball does not bounce like a mirror. The angle it leaves with depends on where it lands on the paddle. A hit in the middle sends it out flat, along the length of the court. The nearer the contact is to either end of the paddle, the steeper the exit, up to a limit of about 60 degrees from the court's axis. That limit keeps rallies from turning into slow, near-vertical bouncing.
Your paddle's movement adds a small twist. Hit the ball while sliding in one direction and it leaves slightly more in that direction. The ball's whole path is checked every frame, so even at top speed it cannot slip through a paddle or a wall.
Tips and strategy
- Use the edge of the paddle on purpose. A steep return travels sideways quickly and forces the other side to run.
- After a centre shot, play wide. A flat ball is easy to predict, so follow it with an edge hit to the corner your opponent is not covering.
- Return to the middle of your side when the ball is going away. From the centre you can reach both corners.
- Easy: the computer reacts slowly, moves at a modest speed and aims badly. Longer rallies and steep angles beat it.
- Medium: it reacts faster and sometimes uses the paddle edge, but it still misjudges fast, steep balls.
- Hard: it predicts the landing spot well and deliberately aims away from you, yet its paddle is not infinitely quick. Win with edge hits late in a rally, when the ball is fastest.
Frequently asked questions
Can two people play on one phone?
Yes. Choose 2 Players and hold the phone upright. Each player drags on their own half of the screen, and both touches are tracked at once.
Why did the ball suddenly get faster?
It speeds up slightly with every paddle hit, up to a cap. After a point it returns to the starting speed.
Is the computer cheating?
No. It reacts to what the ball does with a short delay, moves at a limited speed and makes small aiming mistakes, and the size of each depends on the level you choose.
Where are my records stored?
Wins, losses, rallies and settings are saved in your browser only. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Why did the game pause by itself?
It pauses when you switch tabs or apps, so you never lose a point while you are away. Press P or tap Resume.