Bead Buddies: A Cozy Guide to Stringing, Gifting and Scoring

Bead Buddies is a free browser bracelet maker set on a voxel night-market street that never closes. To start, tap a compartment of the bead tray, press its number key, or move the gamepad cursor and press the A button. Beads hop onto the cord in any order and any number, in five shapes, eight colours and three materials: glossy glass, matte clay or polished metal. Use the toolbar to change shape or material, spell a name with letter beads, hang a gold charm, switch between an elastic, waxed or chain cord, or add a strand for a layered stack. Tap a bead on the cord to move it or take it off.

Each critter's bubble shows a wish, such as a short ABAB or AABB motif, but it is only a bonus: nobody walks away, and any freestyle piece can be gifted. Match the motif anywhere on any strand and it counts; the same colour in another shape counts half. Bigger pieces pay more, because tips grow with the bead count, every charm and a spelled word.

Tie off with the gift button for the critter at the counter, or wear the piece yourself. Loved pieces in a row multiply your tips up to x5, and every fifth one calls a golden VIP.

Invite up to 14 friends into a private room with built-in voice chat, live ranks and a shared crown challenge, or compete with bot stall-keepers on your own. Every piece you make is scored from 0 to 100.