Air Relay Rescue: a Petrified Oak Slab game
This is Air Relay Rescue, a fan-made browser game about the petrified oak slab: a Minecraft block that looks like a normal oak slab, but that almost nobody reaches for first. A rescuer runs toward a lava chasm and jumps on his own. You place the slab in the air where he will land on it, and he bounces across.
Quick facts
- What this is
- A short, free browser game. Three levels, no account, nothing to download.
- What the slab is
- A legacy Minecraft slab that looks like oak but behaves like stone.
- Added
- Java Edition Beta 1.3, when it was simply the wooden slab.
- Survival
- Not obtainable in a new Survival world since Java Edition 1.3.1.
- Creative
- Removed from the Java Creative inventory in 1.19.3. Commands still give it.
- Still in the game?
- Yes. It was never deleted.
- How the game plays
- He runs and jumps on his own. You place the slab in mid-air.
- Platforms
- Any modern phone or PC browser. Portrait, one finger or a mouse.
- Official?
- No. It is an independent fan project.
How to play
- Watch the dotted line. It shows where the rescuer is going to fall.
- Tap or click once to place your petrified oak slab on that path.
- Hold instead of tapping to slow time and aim. Release to place.
- When the dotted line turns green, the jump will make it.
Most levels give you one slab, and it stays where you put it. The far side is always higher than where you start, so a slab placed higher in the air carries him further. In later levels other people run behind the rescuer and use the same slab, and one level needs two slabs: one on the way out and one on the way back.
Why is the petrified oak slab so easy to overlook?
The petrified oak slab is a leftover from early Minecraft. It looks like an oak slab but acts like stone: you need a pickaxe, it does not burn, and you cannot craft it in current Survival. It was added in Java Edition Beta 1.3, when it was simply called a wooden slab. It is still in the game, but it has not been normally obtainable in a new Survival world since Java Edition 1.3.1. In Java Edition 1.19.3 it was also removed from the Creative inventory; commands can still give it.
Petrified oak slab vs oak slab
- Tool: mined with a pickaxe, not an axe.
- Fire: does not burn, and cannot be used as furnace fuel.
- Sound: stone sounds, and a bass drum under a note block.
- Explosions: higher blast resistance.
- Looks: the same oak planks texture.
- Special mechanic: none. The difference is only in its material properties.
Frequently asked questions
What is a petrified oak slab in Minecraft?
A legacy slab that looks like an oak slab but behaves like stone. It cannot be obtained in a new vanilla Survival world. Java Edition has used this name since 1.13.
How is it different from an oak slab?
It is mined with a pickaxe, makes stone sounds, does not burn, cannot be used as furnace fuel, has higher blast resistance and plays a bass drum under a note block. It has no unique redstone mechanic.
Why does the petrified oak slab still exist?
For old worlds. It is what the ordinary wooden slab used to be. When wooden slabs were changed to behave like wood, the old stone-like version was kept so existing builds would not break.
Can you get a petrified oak slab in Survival?
Not in a new vanilla Survival world. It can still exist in worlds upgraded from versions where it was the ordinary wooden slab (before Java Edition 1.3.1). Commands can give it.
Is there a crafting recipe for the petrified oak slab?
Not in current vanilla versions. Very old versions could craft it, back when it was the ordinary wooden slab.
What is the command to get a petrified oak slab?
In Java Edition, with cheats enabled: /give @s minecraft:petrified_oak_slab. Since Java Edition 1.19.3 it is no longer in the Creative inventory, so the command is the usual way to get one.
Is the petrified oak slab in Bedrock Edition?
Yes. The Bedrock 1.21.20 changelog gives it the ID minecraft:petrified_oak_slab and says it can only be obtained and placed with commands. Breaking it drops a normal oak slab.
Is the petrified oak slab still in the game? When was it removed?
It is still in the game. Two separate changes are often confused: it stopped being a normal Survival item in Java Edition 1.3.1, and it left the Java Creative inventory in 1.19.3. It was never deleted. The nickname "alpha slab" is inaccurate: it was added in Java Edition Beta 1.3.
How do you play Air Relay Rescue?
The rescuer runs and jumps on his own. Tap or click once to place the slab in the air where he will land on it, and he bounces across. Hold instead of tapping to aim in slow motion. A green dotted line means the jump will make it.
What does the slab say in the game?
The slab is the game's running joke: it is the block nobody remembers, and it is out to prove it is not obscure. It has a line after each level, such as "See? I'm useful." and "I'm not obscure.", and an on-screen Obscurity meter drops from 100% to zero as you clear the levels.
Is the game free? Does it work on a phone?
Yes to both. There is no account and nothing to download. It is built for portrait phones and one finger, and it plays with a mouse on a PC. Progress is saved in your browser.
Is this an official Minecraft or Krillion game?
No. Air Relay Rescue is a fan-made browser game. It is not approved by Mojang or Microsoft, and it is not affiliated with Krillion.
Last updated: . Block facts follow the Minecraft Wiki entry for the Petrified Oak Slab and the official changelogs for Java Edition 1.19.3 and Bedrock 1.21.20. This page is a game, not a replacement for the wiki.
A fan-made mini-game inspired by the Petrified Oak Slab from Minecraft. NOT AN OFFICIAL MINECRAFT PRODUCT. NOT APPROVED BY OR ASSOCIATED WITH MOJANG OR MICROSOFT. Not affiliated with Krillion. All art, animation and sound in this game are original and generated in code.