In the early 2010s, Hans-Peter Lichtin played a paper version of a grid game with his children. In 2024, his friend Antonio revealed that the game he’d enjoyed was known as Dots and Boxes — a pencil-and-paper game for two (or more) players, originally published in the 19th century by French mathematician Édouard Lucas, who called it La Pipopipette (source: Wikipedia).

While inspired by La Pipopipette, closeit.game has evolved into a unique and distinct experience.

The compelling game concept stayed with Hans-Peter for years. In 2020, he began sketching early software designs on paper and envisioned a digital version of the game. The decision to develop for Apple platforms came quickly — but at the time, he lacked the tools.

After purchasing an iMac in 2021, Hans-Peter taught himself Swift and Xcode from scratch. With a demanding career, time was limited — until his early retirement in 2024 finally gave him room to create. That same year, he shared the first version with family and friends. Their enthusiasm and encouragement became the spark that pushed him forward.

Thus, the captivating closeit.game was born — a puzzle experience now enjoyed by players beyond his family circle.s.

Features

• 347 Challenges – Master challenges by placing horizontal and vertical lines to build a continuous path of cells. Each challenge presents a custom board and goal: What’s the longest path you can create? How many lines can you use?
• 155 Boards – Explore gameplay across squares, rectangles, triangles, letters, crosses, and more.
• 4’189 Scores – Some challenges require multiple scores. Hans-Peter has discovered almost 4,000 distinct scores — can you discover even more?.
• 46 Badges – As a successful player of the closeit.game, you can gain up to 46 badges for completing scores, challenges, and levels.
• 12 Levels – Progress by completing challenges. Each level unlocks new boards and tasks.
• Instructions, Help, and Tips – closeit.game provides extensive help on how to use the game.
• Game Center Integration – Use your Apple Game Center login to track progress, store scores, and challenge friends.
• Leaderboards – Compare your completed challenges and scores with other players.
• Multi-Device Support – Play across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Scores and gameplay sync seamlessly — just log in with your Game Center account.
• Multi-User Capability – Add additional players who share your device.
• Board Designer – Create and play your own boards, customized to your vision.
• Available in English 🇬🇧 & German 🇩🇪

Version History

v0.14.0 (29-Oct-2025)

• Challenges have been restructured to make gameplay more engaging. The number of challenges with excessive scoring has been reduced.
• 7 new boards have been added.
• Scores from previous versions should now be correctly imported.

v0.13.0 (4-Sep-2025)

We’re excited to roll out a fresh update packed with new features, gameplay enhancements, and improved security. Here’s what’s new:

• Videos now available in the main menu for a richer experience.
• Shop added to the main menu for in-game purchases and upgrades.
• In-app purchases prepared:
  • Unlock the premium version
  • Unlock the next level
• Added Restart Application option in the settings for better control.
• Stored data is now protected with a digital signature to ensure integrity and safety.
• Players can now reuse previously played scores, making progression smoother and more strategic.

Challenge Updates

• Level 8
  • O c36: 8 instead of 1 score
  • V c20: 2 instead of 1 score
  • W c37: 11 instead of 1 score
• Bonus Levels
  • Cross 5×5: 79 instead of 64 scores
  • Dice 1 c140: 110 instead of 25 scores
  • Dice 2 c136: 98 instead of 25 scores
  • Dice 3 c132: 86 instead of 25 scores
  • Dice 4 c128: 74 instead of 25 scores
  • Dice 5 c124: 62 instead of 25 scores
  • Dice 6 c120: 44 instead of 25 scores
  • closeit.game c19: 50 instead of 11 scores

v0.12.0 (13-Jul-2025)

• Enhanced user interface, help system, and gameplay tips
• Live path visualization while playing
• Expanded levels, challenges, and boards

v0.11.0 (26-May-2025)

• Fully redesigned version
• Simplified menu structure and navigation
• Visual indicators added to help players place lines