Puzzle · Web

Five to Noon

By Partech Systems

Turn back the clock. Watch the doors.

A deduction game played on a clock. Something went missing from the village; name who took it.

Play now

Free
No account
No timer, no lives
Every case has one answer

A case in progress at 11:35, with Priya Rao standing on the barn step, a clock dial below with a shaded arc from 11:15 to five to noon, and the words Priya Rao is on the barn step at 11:35

The Five to Noon title screen, a flat paper village with a church, forge, tea room, bakery, post office and barn round a green, with buttons for today's case and the casebook

Why it’s different

An hour in the village

Turn the clock

Drag the minute hand round from 11:00 to five to noon, five minutes at a time, and everyone in the village moves with it. Or press Play and watch the hour go by.

Watch the doors

You can see into the tea room, bakery and post office through their windows, but the church, forge and barn have their shutters closed. Whoever goes in has to step onto the doorstep first.

One person, one answer

Every case is checked so a careful watcher can account for everyone. Only one person was inside after the item was last seen, and a wrong guess tells you where that person really was.

Twelve cases and one a day

The casebook starts with four villagers and ends with eight on a busy green. There's a new case every morning. Hints point you to the right moment, and the first three cases' hints are free.

See it

A morning to watch

The village zoomed in on the barn door, with one villager on the step and a red question mark on the door — **Look closer**Pinch or tap Zoom in.

The accuse sheet asking who took the harvest loaf, with four villagers to choose from, one crossed out, and the words Not Edie. Edie was on the east green at 11:15 — **Accuse**A wrong guess shows you why.

The solved sheet naming Priya Rao, with two of three bells, the words Priya went into the barn at 11:40, and buttons to watch again or go on to case 2 — **Solved**Bells for a clean answer.

The casebook with case 1 solved and case 2 open, and the later cases locked — **The casebook**Twelve mornings, each busier than the last.

How it plays

Five to Noon is a deduction game you play with a clock. Something has gone missing from a building in the village: the prize marrow from the barn, the collection plate from the church, the best tongs from the forge. The case tells you when it was last seen. At five to noon, it was gone.

Turn the clock from 11:00 to five to noon, five minutes at a time, and watch the villagers walk between the church, the forge, the tea room, the bakery, the post office and the barn. You can see through shop windows, but not through closed shutters, so watch who steps onto each doorstep and goes in. Then name the one person who was inside after the item was last seen.

There are twelve cases in the casebook, from four villagers to eight, and a new case every day.

Tips

How to play well

Start at the time it was last seen
Turn the clock to that time, then step forward and watch the door of the building where it went missing.
Count people in and out
Someone who went in earlier may still be inside. If you didn't see them come out, they're still there.
Ask Who's about
It lists everyone you can see at that moment and where they are, which helps on a crowded green.

Questions

Asked and answered

Is Five to Noon free? Are there ads?

Yes, it's free to play in your browser. There are no ads during a case and no banners. Your first ten cases have no ads at all; after that an ad may appear between cases, at most once every ten and never twice within five minutes. A hint may ask you to watch an ad, but only if you choose it, and hints in the first three cases need no ad.

Is there a time limit?

No. Take as long as you like. The bells you earn depend only on wrong guesses and hints.

Where is my progress saved?

In your browser on this device. There's no account, and clearing the site's data deletes it.

Can I play with a keyboard or a screen reader?

Yes. The clock dial takes the arrow keys, and Who's about lists where everyone is in words.