The Shashibo UFO — the flat disc that ends the route

Saucer check

Lay it on the table and look from above: six sides, a hexagon. Crouch down and look from the edge: low and flat, like a disc. That combination — wide hexagon, thin profile — is what earns it the UFO name, which the brand uses for this basic shape. Because it spreads out so wide, it is one of the shapes where you see a large stretch of faces at once.

The end of the line

On the official instruction sheet the route runs Cube, Crown, Star, Hive, Pyramid and then this flat hexagonal disc. Landing the UFO means you have walked the whole beginner path.

UFO vs. Star — don't mix them up

• The Star has six points and a hexagonal hole you can see through.
• The UFO is a flat hexagonal disc — think saucer, not starfish.
• Both are flat-ish, so check for points and a hole before you call it.

How to land it

There is no printed move list for the UFO in the official materials, so here is the honest version. From the Pyramid, gently let the Shashibo fold through itself and let the pieces spread outward rather than gathering into points. Keep going a little at a time and stop each time you feel the magnets connect. When the click leaves you with a flat six-sided disc, you are there.

Troubleshooting the landing

If you keep getting a Star, you have spread the ring but not closed the middle. If you keep getting points, you are folding toward a Pyramid. Back up one move and try the fold the other way. Slow beats strong — every time.

Want to see it move first? The brand's free app for Apple and Android has instructional videos for 70+ shapes, and the beginner route is a good place to start watching.