When you have a row or grid that’s entirely complete except for one number, tapping on it will give you the only possible option, speeding things up quite a bit.īuilding all of this was a lot of work. Good Sudoku also eliminates some of the busywork inherent in the game - most notably, counting. The challenge scales in a way that makes sense when you choose to take on a new difficulty level, the game will tell you what skills you’ll need to complete the puzzles. Just as important, the game gives you the tools to utilize those techniques, with a robust note-taking system for keeping track of what numbers could go where. Good Sudoku has a hint system powered by an AI that shows you the next most logical move and also gives brief lessons on high-level sudoku techniques in a way that’s easy to grasp. The most notable thing about the game, though, is how interested it is in teaching you to play at a higher level. It also offers a huge range of puzzles, ranging from extremely easy to “ow my brain hurts” difficult. For one thing, it features a clean, simple design that’s both beautiful and functional.

Good Sudoku stands out for a few reasons. It would be a disservice to not make and share this because this is like a black hole.” “How is it possible that there is this great game, that millions of people love, and they’re all playing a version that isn’t even the real game?” he says. Despite the popularity of the game, there were few high-quality touchscreen renditions and even fewer that allowed for the intricate note-taking necessary to pull off a “Miracle Sudoku.” When he started looking into sudoku, he was shocked at the dire state of games available on mobile. So far, that’s included a randomized version of chess, multiple takes on solitaire, and a streamlined version of pool. Over the last few years, Gage has made a habit of revisiting classic games and remixing them so that they feel at home on a smartphone. “This inspiration for this was really I just wanted to learn sudoku,” Gage says, “and it seemed very hard to do with what was out there.” So Gage teamed up with designer Jack Schlesinger to make Good Sudoku, which is out today on iOS. Played at such a high level, he found the ubiquitous puzzle game “beautiful.” Problem was, when he set out to learn how to play, he couldn’t find any mobile apps that allowed for those high-level techniques. But that changed when he started watching the Cracking the Cryptic channel on YouTube, where seasoned pros tackle seemingly impossible puzzles, like the “Miracle Sudoku” video that recently went viral. Zach Gage was never really interested in sudoku.

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