Game Is Hard Level 43: Rotating Arrow Puzzle Solution

App updates can sometimes shuffle the order of puzzles. If this level 43 walkthrough doesn't match your screen, don't worry! You can browse our All Levels guide to find your exact puzzle by its picture.

Drag the first heart to the third line , the second heart to the second line , the third heart to the bottom line , and the fourth heart to the top line .

Level Overview

What Makes This Puzzle Tricky

You’re faced with four bouncing hearts—but they won’t respond to taps or shakes. At first glance, it feels like a rhythm challenge or memory test. The real puzzle isn’t in timing—it’s in noticing how many times each heart expands and contracts before resetting. That medical EKG layout? It’s not for show—it’s your answer key.

Your Goal

Match each animated heart at the top to the correct EKG line below—based solely on how many pulses it displays. This isn’t about color, size, or position—it’s about translating motion into numbers and lining them up precisely.

Key Mechanics involved in Game Is Hard Level 43:

Observation / Counting: You must watch the animation loop closely—no shortcuts.
Drag and Drop: Interaction is purely drag-based; tapping does nothing.
Visual Matching: Linking dynamic behavior (pulses) to static features (spike counts).
Pattern Recognition: Those wavy lines aren’t decoration—they’re data visualizations. It’s not a typo. It’s a diagnosis.

What Appears on Your Screen

Let's break down the layout so we are on the same page.

Top Row: You see four red hearts . They are animated. They pulse (expand and shrink) in a specific rhythm.
Middle Text: The question asks, " how many pulses? " This is your main clue that numbers matter here.
Bottom Area: There are four distinct lines that look like heart monitor readouts (EKG lines).
The EKG Lines: Each line has a different number of "spikes" or "bumps" before it reaches the empty heart outline in the middle. The empty outlines are clearly receptacles waiting for an object.
Each line has a different number of "spikes" or "bumps" before it reaches the empty heart outline in the middle.
The empty outlines are clearly receptacles waiting for an object.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The Trap

The biggest pitfall? Assuming animation is just eye candy. In level 43, every pulse is the puzzle. Rushing to drag without counting means guessing—and with 24 possible arrangements, you’ll waste minutes instead of seconds.

First Instincts That Fail

Most players instinctively tap hearts in time with their beats—like a rhythm game. I did too. Nothing happened. Others tried shaking the device or swiping the lines—also useless. The only valid action is dragging hearts onto the correct EKG slots.

Player Reactions

I spent nearly a minute overthinking the spikes—measuring heights, checking symmetry—before realizing the answer was simpler: count the bumps, match the pulses. Sometimes the clearest logic hides behind the most obvious details.

Step-by-Step Solution

Preparing the Move

Pause all interaction. Hold your phone steady and focus only on the top row. Don’t move anything yet—just observe the pulse pattern until it clicks.

Executing the Solution

Count the Pulses: Look at the hearts from left to right. Heart 1 (Left): Pulses 3 times. Heart 2 (Middle-Left): Pulses 2 times. Heart 3 (Middle-Right): Pulses 4 times. Heart 4 (Right): Pulses 1 time.
Heart 1 (Left): Pulses 3 times.
Heart 2 (Middle-Left): Pulses 2 times.
Heart 3 (Middle-Right): Pulses 4 times.
Heart 4 (Right): Pulses 1 time.
Analyze the Lines: Look at the EKG lines below. Count the sharp spikes on the left side of the heart outline. Top Line: 1 spike. Second Line: 2 spikes. Third Line: 3 spikes. Bottom Line: 4 spikes.
Top Line: 1 spike.
Second Line: 2 spikes.
Third Line: 3 spikes.
Bottom Line: 4 spikes.
Perform the Drag: Match the heart to the line with the same number. Drag the Left Heart (3 pulses) -> to the Third Line down (3 spikes). Drag the Middle-Left Heart (2 pulses) -> to the Second Line down (2 spikes). Drag the Middle-Right Heart (4 pulses) -> to the Bottom Line (4 spikes). Drag the Right Heart (1 pulse) -> to the Top Line (1 spike).
Drag the Left Heart (3 pulses) -> to the Third Line down (3 spikes).
Drag the Middle-Left Heart (2 pulses) -> to the Second Line down (2 spikes).
Drag the Middle-Right Heart (4 pulses) -> to the Bottom Line (4 spikes).
Drag the Right Heart (1 pulse) -> to the Top Line (1 spike).

Confirming It Worked

When placed correctly, each heart snaps cleanly into its outline and stays put. If it floats back up, it’s on the wrong line. Once all four lock in place, the level completes instantly.

If It Did Not Work

If a heart refuses to stick, make sure you’re releasing it directly over the faint heart-shaped outline—not just anywhere along the jagged line. That’s the only active drop zone.

Small Details That Matter

Precision matters slightly here. The game wants you to drop the red heart inside the empty outline .

The Snap Zone: It's centered on the empty heart outline.
Speed: You don't need to be fast. The pulses loop infinitely. Take your time.
The Order: You can drag them in any order you want. I usually do the "1 pulse" heart first because it's the easiest to identify quickly. I fixed my own struggle by physically pointing at the screen and counting out loud "One, two, three" for the spikes. Visually, the 3-spike and 4-spike lines look very similar at a glance. Counting them manually prevents errors.

Why This Solution Works

This level bridges two types of information: time-based (animation cycles) and spatial (graph peaks).

Set A: The number of times an animation loops (temporal).
Set B: The number of jagged peaks on a line (spatial). The core idea is isomorphism—recognizing that “3 pulses” and “3 spikes” represent the same value, even though they appear completely unrelated. It forces you past surface-level assumptions and into pure logical mapping—a hallmark of the Game Is Hard design philosophy.

Bonus Tip

If you’re replaying or guiding someone else, memorize the placement pattern—not just the counts.

Far Right Heart goes to the Top .
Far Left Heart goes to the 3rd slot .
Middle-Left stays in its vertical lane (goes to 2nd slot ).
Middle-Right goes to the Bottom . Skip the tapping entirely—it’s a red herring built to derail your focus.

Alternative Attempts of Game Is Hard Level 43 (What Doesn’t Work, and Why)

Here are the things I tried that failed miserably, so you don't have to:

Tapping the hearts as they beat: This isn't Guitar Hero . The game doesn't register taps on these objects.
Shaking the phone: Usually used to reset or break things, but here it does nothing. The hearts keep beating.
Dragging the lines up to the hearts: The EKG lines are static background elements; they cannot be moved. Only the hearts are dynamic.
Dragging hearts to each other: Trying to combine hearts to make bigger numbers? Nope. They don't merge.
Waiting for the pulses to stop: They loop forever. Waiting is not the solution.
Counting the "beep" sounds: The sound effects are generic and often don't sync perfectly with the visual pulses. Trust your eyes, not your ears.

Common Mistakes for Game Is Hard Level 43

Miscounting the Spikes: The jagged lines are messy. It's very easy to confuse the line with 3 spikes for the one with 4 spikes.
Confusing the Hearts: Because they all look identical when static, players often grab the wrong one after looking away for a second. Keep your eye on the specific heart you just counted.
Dragging to the text: Trying to drag a heart to the word "pulses" does nothing.
Ignoring the Animation: Trying to brute-force the solution by randomly dragging hearts until one sticks takes way longer than just counting.
Assuming Left-to-Right: Players often assume the top heart goes to the top line, second to second, etc. The order is scrambled, not sequential.

Pattern Recognition: How to Spot This Trick in Future Game Is Hard Levels

The tell

Whenever you see multiple identical objects moving in distinct ways—blinking at different speeds, rotating unevenly, or pulsing uniquely—that variation is encoding data. It’s rarely random—it’s always intentional.

The habit

Resist the urge to interact right away. When animated elements appear, pause and watch for at least 10 seconds. Ask: “What repeats? What changes? Is there a count?” That discipline unlocks dozens of later levels.

Frequently Asked Questions of Game Is Hard Level 43 (Short, Useful)

Q: Does the pulse count change if I restart the Game is hard Level 43? A: No. The pattern is fixed. Left to right, the values are always 3, 2, 4, 1.

Q: Can I put the hearts in the wrong place in Game is hard Level 43? A: You can try, but they won't stick. They will just slide back to their original position at the top.

Q: Do I need sound on for Game is hard Level 43? A: No. While there might be a heartbeat sound, the visual cue (the expansion of the heart) is the reliable metric. You can solve this on mute.

Q: Why won't the heart stick to the line in Game is hard Level 43? A: You are likely dropping it on the jagged line part. You must drop it specifically onto the faint heart outline at the end of the jagged line.