Thermo Sudoku
- May 25, 2020
- Studio Goya
"Thermo Sudoku," by Cracking The Cryptic, offers a fresh take on classic Sudoku with thermometer-shaped puzzles. The game features personally crafted hints by Sudoku experts Simon Anthony and Mark Goodliffe, ensuring a challenging and enjoyable experience. Players start with zero stars and earn more based on the number of puzzles solved.
Reviews
- The game features beautifully crafted puzzles that provide a satisfying challenge and a unique twist on traditional Sudoku.
- The interface is user-friendly and intuitive, making it easy for players to engage with the puzzles and utilize helpful hints.
- The game is designed as a learning tool, allowing players to improve their Sudoku skills through logical reasoning and problem-solving.
- There is a lack of background music and sound effects, which can make the gameplay feel a bit empty and silent.
- The game suffers from technical issues, such as crashes and a lack of cloud save functionality, which can lead to lost progress.
- Some puzzles are inconsistently rated in difficulty, with early puzzles being harder than expected, potentially frustrating new players.
- gameplay6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Gameplay is generally engaging and customizable, with an intuitive interface that offers various tips and overlays to assist players. However, some users have noted that hints can be misleading, often relating to earlier stages of the game when players are further along, which can lead to frustration. Overall, the variety of gameplay options is appreciated, allowing for personal preferences in notation and strategy.
“The interface is nice and intuitive, and there are plenty of options for gameplay tips and overlays that can make the task of solving a bit more customizable.”
“So you can be quite far along in the gameplay and getting quite stuck, but the hint supplied relates to a much earlier phase in the game.”
“The interface is nice and intuitive, and there are plenty of options for gameplay tips/overlays that can make the task of solving a bit more customizable.”
“I'm loving all the gameplay options too, as I use slightly different notation than Simon and Mark.”
- music4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the game is notably lacking, with users expressing disappointment over the absence of background music and sound effects, leading to a silent gameplay experience. Many players feel that the addition of music would enhance the overall experience.
“There's not even background music, so you're going to have to provide your own when playing unless you want to sit in silence.”
“The interface is good once you get used to it, but it would be nice to have music and sounds.”
“There's not even background music, so you're going to have to provide your own when playing unless you want to sit in silence.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics are praised for their beautiful simplicity and user-friendly interface, enhancing the overall solving experience. Reviewers appreciate how the visual design complements the clever puzzles and contributes to an enjoyable gameplay experience.
“The beautifully simplistic graphics and easy-to-use interface made for a wonderful solving experience, with clever puzzles and a lovely difficulty curve.”
“The beautifully simplistic graphics and easy-to-use interface made for a wonderful solving experience, with clever puzzles and a lovely difficulty curve.”
“The graphical interface and the software make it much more enjoyable.”
- story2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story is consistently praised for its breathtaking quality, indicating a captivating and engaging narrative that resonates strongly with players.
“Breathtaking storyline”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is subtle and revolves around light-hearted commentary on its CPU demands, particularly in relation to the simplicity of Sudoku. Players appreciate the playful acknowledgment of the game's technical quirks, though some express a desire for more options to manage performance without unintended consequences.
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers replayability through its monthly updates, gradually increasing the total number of puzzles from an initial 40 to 100, which encourages players to return for new challenges.
“While the game starts with only 40 puzzles, more will be released each month until you reach a total of 100, which adds significant replay value.”
“While the game does start with only 40 puzzles, more will be released each month until you reach a total of 100, which does give this game some replay value.”