Welcome to the Garden
First to 7 points wins. Your character swings automatically when the ball is in reach — you choose where to be and which shot to play.
Keyboard — WASD / arrows to move. DINK · DRIVE · LOB chips (or 1 / 2 / 3), TOPSPIN / SLICE to add spin, F for the cannon, V for camera.
Touch — a joystick appears under your thumb; its direction also steers the shot. Tap the chips for shot & spin, tap the glowing meter for the cannon.
The Shots
DINK — a soft drop just over the net into the kitchen. Can't be smashed; drags them out of position.
DRIVE — a fast, flat attack. Hardest to return, but it flies low — the aggressive choice.
LOB — a high arc over the opponent's head. Great when they crowd the net.
TOPSPIN — dips sooner and kicks forward off the bounce, rushing them.
SLICE — floats longer, then skids low on landing. Cruel on tired legs.
CANNON — the meter fills as you play; press F (or tap it) to arm a super-charged drive.
SMASH — swing at a high ball near the net and it becomes an overhead automatically.
Rules of the Court
The Kitchen — the shaded strip either side of the net (the non-volley zone). You can't hit the ball out of the air while standing in it — it must bounce first. A serve landing here is a fault. This is why dinking exists.
Two-Bounce Rule — after the serve the ball must bounce once on each side before anyone volleys. From the third shot on, volleys are allowed (outside the kitchen).
Net Cord — a ball that clips the tape and dribbles over is live. Sometimes the garden is kind.
Scoring — every rally scores a point for its winner, who serves next. First to 7 takes the match.
Glossary
Volley — hitting the ball before it bounces.
Rally — the exchange of one point; long rallies earn bonus XP.
Fault — a rule break that ends the rally: out, into the net, kitchen or two-bounce violation.
Baseline — the back line; where drives and lobs are safest to receive.
Rating — your Elo, starting near 1000. Ranked moves it; friendly matches never do.
Streak — play once a day and your garden streak grows, paying bonus coins.
Daily missions — three fresh goals a day, each worth coins & XP. First win pays extra.