defrag.exe
`Disk partition error. Please run defrag.exe.`
Attempt to breathe life into an old computer by defragging its hard drive, grouping together clusters of data while dealing with corrupted sectors. The more efficient you are, the more space you can free up. Just don't find yourself in a situation where you can't defrag any further!
Select any two files to swap them. Create rows or columns of three or more matching files to clear them. If there's at least one empty space in the sector by the time you run out of moves, you've successfully defragged that sector and can move on to the next one. Try to defrag as many sectors as you can and aim for a hi-score!
Features:
- Addictive arcade match-3 gameplay
- Aesthetic inspired by pre-XP Windows
- High-score tracking
Controls:
- Arrows: Move cursor
- Z: Select/Swap
- X: Cancel/Back
Changelog:
- 25/10/2026: Fixed game breaking upon reaching Sector 11
- 23/10/2026: V1.1 update (full patch notes here)
- 22/10/2026: Fixed end-of-level state not being detected correctly
Made in 72 hours for Ludum Dare 60.
Attempt to breathe life into an old computer by defragging its hard drive, grouping together clusters of data while dealing with corrupted sectors. The more efficient you are, the more space you can free up. Just don't find yourself in a situation where you can't defrag any further!
Select any two files to swap them. Create rows or columns of three or more matching files to clear them. If there's at least one empty space in the sector by the time you run out of moves, you've successfully defragged that sector and can move on to the next one. Try to defrag as many sectors as you can and aim for a hi-score!
Features:
- Addictive arcade match-3 gameplay
- Aesthetic inspired by pre-XP Windows
- High-score tracking
Controls:
- Arrows: Move cursor
- Z: Select/Swap
- X: Cancel/Back
Changelog:
- 25/10/2026: Fixed game breaking upon reaching Sector 11
- 23/10/2026: V1.1 update (full patch notes here)
- 22/10/2026: Fixed end-of-level state not being detected correctly
Made in 72 hours for Ludum Dare 60.
Comments11
JustinMullin19 Oct 2026, 20:40
Cool aesthetic! I like the theme, and the interactions were well implemented. I'm not sure if it's a bug or a misunderstanding on my part, but I've played about 10 times and keep getting completely stuck. I've had games where I clear at least one column completely, and games where I clear all columns at least to have a space at the top, and in both of those situations I get stuck. There's no indication that I'm stuck - I have to reset the game completely to try again. Am I interpreting "at least one empty space in the sector by the time you run out of moves" incorrectly?
ImmanentDeath20 Oct 2026, 00:55
Very clever puzzle game. Made me think a lot. You have a lot of freedom to strategize and manipulate the board with such a simple mechanic, and it gets tricky once you start running out of files. My last game ended here because I couldn't match the last three "T" files.
Human Writes Code20 Oct 2026, 08:32
Really great looking game and the sound suits the aesthetic well. I'm not sure if there's no "lose" state or I'm just dumb (it's probably that), but I keep getting stuck with no valid moves. It's a pity because the rest of the game feel so polished and the idea is a fun one that fits the theme well. Overall, I liked it!
F1Krazy20 Oct 2026, 11:37
@justinmullin @immanentdeath @human-writes-code Hi all! There seems to be a bug in the code that detects when there are no valid matches remaining. I thought I'd spotted it during playtesting, but I couldn't be sure that I hadn't just missed a valid match and I couldn't see anything blatantly wrong with the code. It's clear from your comments that this bug does exist, though. I'm still physically and mentally recovering from the jam but I'll look into it as soon as I can.
woona20 Oct 2026, 15:37
I've played through 6 sectors and stopped there.
I liked the presentation. The game looks colorful and exploding files is fun.
The game is a little bit repetitive and to be honest after a while I started to get bored. At first I thought that it's only possible to swap neighboring files, but after realizing that I can swap any files on the board, the game started to feel very easy.
I liked the presentation. The game looks colorful and exploding files is fun.
The game is a little bit repetitive and to be honest after a while I started to get bored. At first I thought that it's only possible to swap neighboring files, but after realizing that I can swap any files on the board, the game started to feel very easy.
HotCoffee20 Oct 2026, 16:10
Loved the visuals! Great pixel art.
Initially thought you can only swap neighbouring files as well, but swapping any feels pretty fun too and prompts you to use different strategies. Very solid entry!
Initially thought you can only swap neighbouring files as well, but swapping any feels pretty fun too and prompts you to use different strategies. Very solid entry!
sebbernery20 Oct 2026, 16:33
Like others, I think I had the bug where I can't do any move but it's not detected.
But I like the visuals, and the change in the traditional mechanic of match-3 where you can only move something on one case adjacent make some interesting choices (you have a lot of possibilities to move to the same place but some are far better than others). And I like the de-fragmentation theme :).
Congratulations of your entry !
But I like the visuals, and the change in the traditional mechanic of match-3 where you can only move something on one case adjacent make some interesting choices (you have a lot of possibilities to move to the same place but some are far better than others). And I like the de-fragmentation theme :).
Congratulations of your entry !
ImmanentDeath20 Oct 2026, 17:07
@f1krazy Take your time 🖤 It's perfectly playable otherwise, so no rush.
Brusi20 Oct 2026, 20:09
Cute jam entry! Definitely reminds me of the 'old tech' of having to defrag my old hard drive.
I enjoyed dragging files around to defrag them. Nothing beats a good old cleanup of a messy hard drive.
Played it on Newgrounds now and still encountered the bug, I'll give it another go after the bug is fixed :)
I enjoyed dragging files around to defrag them. Nothing beats a good old cleanup of a messy hard drive.
Played it on Newgrounds now and still encountered the bug, I'll give it another go after the bug is fixed :)
Eugenik21 Oct 2026, 01:30
The idea of breathing life into an old computer through defragging is such a clever way to frame a puzzle game. The mechanic of strategically moving files to group clusters together really makes the process feel like a genuine cleanup operation. Great job on the execution!
The sprite work was really well done.