1×
Green
Just born. Early, but safe — you can pick it any time.
Sator Labs · In concept
It isn't about matching color. It's about knowing when to pick.
Cherry Picker is a block game where red, yellow, and green aren't categories — they're the same cherry at different ripening stages. You don't match identical pieces: you decide when to pick.
Design concept validated. No playtest date yet.
Proof of concept
How it works
Four stages. A decision every second.
Every block ripens on its own, without you touching anything. A progress ring around each piece shows how close it is to the next stage — waiting pays off, but waiting too long costs you.
1×
3×
Ripening
Almost there. Already worth the wait.
10×
Ripe
The sweet spot. And a cluster is worth its size squared — waiting for the neighbor to get here changes everything.
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Rotten
You waited too long. No points, just wasted space — and flooding the orchard with rot ends the match.
score = stage value × (blocks in cluster)²
A cluster of 5 ripe blocks is worth more than six clusters of 2. The whole game comes down to this formula — players learn to wait because the math rewards it. Until it rots.
Multiplayer · Shared Orchard
One board. Four players. No side gets luckier boards.
Instead of parallel boards, everyone picks from the same orchard, in real time. The tension isn't a clock on screen — it's watching an opponent go for the same cluster you want.
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The telegraphed hand
Picking isn't instant: you hold your finger on a cluster, and everyone sees your hand arriving. That takes latency out of the equation — 150ms of network lag no longer decides a contest.
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Reading, not reflex
Seeing an opponent go for a cluster is a decision: contest it, or run to another corner of the orchard before it is too late.
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The bluff came for free
Starting a pick and releasing before it finishes is a valid move — and a good way to lure an opponent into a bad cluster.
Cast · The four pickers
Each one competes their own way.
The pickers don't own a color — red, yellow, and green are still the same cherry at different moments. They're the four competitors of the shared orchard.
Light hand
Ruby the Fox
Competitive in a sporting way, never bitter — picks faster than the others, just enough to win a contested cluster.
Big basket
Tuco the Squirrel
Ambitious in a homebody way — thinks full basket, not haste. Rests less between picks: always ready for the next one.
Sharp eye
Bloo the Blue Jay
Observant and tactless — announces what's about to happen before it happens. Sees the future: which blocks will ripen in the next few seconds.
Fertilizer
Moss the Hedgehog
Calm to the point of maddening — never contests a cluster, yields and comes back later. His clusters of 4+ blocks are worth double: rewards those who know how to wait.
Around the orchard
Who else lives in this orchard.
Supporting characters still in development — the portraits below are the first batch of concept art, and some roles are still being matched to the rest of the cast.
Orchard guide
Master Root
Economical — says one line at a time and never repeats himself. Leads the four-phase tutorial, no dialogue box blocking the board.
Rewards
King Pip
Outrageously generous — crowned himself and treats every draft card like a gift picked by hand. Also headlines the crowned cherry event.
Utility
Nestor the Gardener
No title, no fuss — shows up to clear the accumulated rot and leaves before anyone can say thanks.
Recurring rival
Baron Corvin
Elegant and utterly convinced of his own good taste — lands on the ripest cluster on the board and eats it in 5 seconds if no one picks first.
Progression
Madame Compote
Keeps the recipe book — inherited, not written by her — that turns picks into ingredients, and ingredients into a reason to play again.
What stage Cherry Picker is at
Today, Cherry Picker is a design document and two playable HTML prototypes, used to validate whether the ripening mechanic is fun. There is no onboarding, complete cast art, sound, or real networked multiplayer yet. Signing up does not guarantee an invite — you'll be notified when there is something ready to test.
Sator Labs community
Follow Cherry Picker from the start.
Unlike Dots & Boxes, Cherry Picker doesn't have a playtest-ready build yet. Sign up with your email to know when that changes.
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