We Put a Gate to Mars Inside Minesweeper

Minesweeper has one of the most recognisable looks in software: grey cells, blue ones, a red flag. Minesweeper Worlds Online already breaks that with an infinite map of plains, deserts, forests, mountains and sea. But the thing players send us screenshots of is the gate.

Here is how it works. In the Shared World, after you clear ten areas, and then every twenty areas after that, a gate can appear near you with the message "A gate to another world has appeared". Open it, confirm, and the world is recoloured on the spot. The same cells, the same numbers, the same players — but now it is Mars. Or a neon city at night. Or a Japanese ink painting.

You can find up to three gates per season, one for each world, and a Worlds button lets you switch between them and the original look whenever you like. Found worlds reset when the season ends, so each new world starts plain again.

How many people have gone through

Gates are new — they shipped in the current store version on October 7. Between September 28 and October 13, across iPhone, Android and the browser, the game recorded a gate appearing 85 times for 27 different players, and 54 crossings by 20 of them.

So roughly one player in three who gets far enough finds a gate, and three in four of those step through. The ones who do not, we assume, are busy. A gate appears in the middle of a dig, and a dig in the Shared World has a way of not letting go of you.

Where the three worlds came from

The three worlds behind the gates were not designed as gates. They were seasonal events on the mobile app earlier this year: Sumi-e, a Japanese ink-wash world, in May; Mars in June; Cyberpunk in July. Each ran for about four weeks and then went away.

They were the best-looking things in the game, and we did not want them to be gone. But bringing them back as menu options would have made them wallpaper. A gate makes them a place: something you reach by digging, that you can lose, and that you might find again in the next world.

What changes and what does not

A gate changes colours only. It is not a separate map and it does not move you. The cells other players open still appear on your map; the graves are still there; your score is still your score. This matters more than it sounds. The Shared World only works because every player is looking at the same world, so the one thing a gate must never do is take you out of it.

If you want the plain look back, the Worlds button has an Original setting. Some players keep Mars on permanently. We have met at least one who switches to ink-wash for the mountains and back to the default for the sea, which is not something we planned for and is probably the best review the feature has had.

Go and find one

Season 7 is open until October 26. Ten cleared areas is an evening's work, and the first gate is waiting after that. You can play in your browser right now, or get the iPhone or Android app; the same gates exist in both. If you are new to the game, how to play takes five minutes, and the worlds page shows what the three looks are like.