Elementary
(Published on 18. September 2023, 22:30 by Christounet)
Update : When I first posted this puzzle, I wanted to provide a solvable grid with that design as a background, but the result was not what I expected (too blurry). Therefore solvers had to do with the less curvy standard grid presented below. Thanks to the work of gdc and an update on Sudokupad, I am very happy to present a new link to solve this puzzle with my design as a background :
Play on Sudokupad with Design background (answer check)A few weeks ago, I went with my kids to watch the very nice movie Elemental by Pixar. Beyond the spectacular animation blockbuster, it is also a nice take on the differences and conflicts between cultures and societies, who all have their own way of living, but might need each other in the end to make a better life. This gave me an idea of a puzzle based on 4 different grids on the theme of elements, with their own characteristics and internal logic, that will require help from the other elements to get the full resolution.
I especially worked on the design on this one, as you may have noticed, and I think I was able to embed interesting logic behind those lines. The ways to resolve the puzzle may vary from a solver to another, as each grid was designed to allow a certain amount of progress on its own. If you're not familiar with the mirrored digits I used in the water grid, I suggest you solve this easy 6x6 puzzle first. Enjoy !
The puzzle :
Play on Sudokupad with Standard background (answer check)
Rules :
- (Almost) Normal 6x6 sudoku rules apply : in each 6x6 grid, place 6 of the digits 1-9 (not necessarily the same 6 digits in all grids) in each row, column and region without repeat. Note that the regions are regular sudoku regions in 3 grids and irregular in the bottom right.
- Grey areas outside those grids do not contain digits.
- Doubler : in the "Fire" grid, are 6 doubler cells (one per row, column and box) which count as double their value for the purpose of the lines. Each digit is doubled once in the grid.
- Mirrored digits : in the "Water" grid, are 6 mirrored digits (one per row, column and box), which takes the value opposite to their own value on a 1-9 scale (i.e. 1 takes the value of 9, 2 the value of 8...). Each digit is mirrored once in the grid.
- Note : No modifier rule in the "Air" and "Earth" grids
- Inequality sign : an inequality sign points to the smallest of the 2 digits it separates.
- Renban lines : each red line must contain a set of non repeating consecutive values in any order.
- Region sum lines : each blue line must have an equal sum N within each region they pass through.
- Arrows : the values of the cells along an arrow sum to the value in that arrow's circle.
- German whisper lines : on a green line, the values of consecutive cells must differ by at least 5.
- Brown lines : the nature of each thin brown line is ambiguous and has to be determined by the solver; it can be any of the 4 types of lines described above (german whisper, renban, region sum line, arrow). If the line is an arrow, the bulb is located at one of the extremities of the line. Important : It may be several types of lines at the same time, but it has to be at least one of the type of line from a grid not touched by the line (Example : if the line is between the GW and the arrows grid, it must be at least a RSL or a renban, the line in the RSL grid must be at least a GW, a renban or an arrow).
- "Harmony" line : the yellow line joining the 4 grids represents the harmony between all the elements. The 4 cells must have the same value. (So yes, it is a region sum line as well !)
Enjoy ! And consider leaving a comment if you appreciate the puzzle !
You can check out my other puzzles here if you liked this one.
Solution code: Bottom row of each grid, in the following order : top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right.
Comments
on 8. July 2024, 23:54 by heliopolix
Elemental harmony!
I approached this one with some trepidation, as mean-mini grids are a personal weakness. However, the strength of the setting carried me through and provided a consistently pleasant experience.
There are so many clever deductions, both local to a single grid, but also between grids. The cross-grid deductions were among my favorite steps.
Bravo and three cheers for this brilliant puzzle!
on 21. April 2024, 18:21 by vfig
took me a little over 3 hours of struggle to get the four elements back into harmony. beautiful puzzle, if a whole lot more difficult than i anticipated. but i got there in the end with a little help from some friendly solvers in my stream chat. thank you for the puzzle!
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@vfig : Enjoyed watching the replay of your solve on twitch ! It is a hard puzzle indeed, but you did good. Thanks for solving :)
on 20. January 2024, 23:23 by spq
rule clarification: touching lines are connected (am i missing this in the rules?)
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@spq : Not sure what you mean by touching lines ? Do you mean those that make a loop ? Please give me an example of line that seems not clear for you so that I can answer better and help you :)
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@christounet: Sure, i interpreted the 9 cell renban and the "leaf" between air and fire as consisting of multiple lines.
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@spq : oh yes, they are connected ! Sorry, I did not think this would be ambiguous as it happens in a lot of puzzles. Maybe the curvy design mislead you somehow. I see you solved the puzzle though :)
on 17. January 2024, 02:25 by gdc
Amazing puzzle! After my solve a fellow setter told me I started with the hardest grid, but hey :) It was really fun to work out how the different grids communicate with each other. Also liked the "mirrored digits" rule a lot.
on 16. January 2024, 23:17 by Christounet
New link of a solvable grid with design background.
on 15. November 2023, 02:42 by Xendari
That was a brutal yet wonderful puzzle! At the end I couldn’t see how there could be a unique solution, only to realise I hadn’t read the rule that was clearly labelled IMPORTANT. I had a lovely time solving regardless, even if I could have shaved off half of my solve time :’)
on 11. October 2023, 04:12 by Gliperal
I'm a sucker for beautifully-themed grids, and this one takes the cake! Fun logic, and the ruleset was surprisingly manageable, despite the terrifying appearance.
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@Gliperal : It makes me really happy that you (and others) appreciate the design of this puzzle. It is something that I am trying to do in a lot of my puzzles, and I find it is a nice challenge as a setter to incorporate good logic in a cool design (theme, symmetry, colors...). I made another 4x6x6 on another theme, that you might enjoy as well (if you like S-cell puzzles). It is called Powercut.
on 10. October 2023, 13:01 by ddx01
I didn't even start on this puzzle, and I can already tell you, I'm going to enjoy it!!
I will talk about the solution later, but it's already beautiful in so many levels. The idea, the graphics. I love it already!
@ddx01 : Thank you ! I am glad you appreciate the design and concept, which where big part of the setting process. I hope the puzzle lives up to your expectations !
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Done! Absolutely beautiful. And now, after I'm done with the solve, I'm especially fond of the title, as there's nothing elementary about it. It is really an incredible puzzle.
Thank you, Christounet!
on 9. October 2023, 21:40 by Niverio
Absolutely gorgeous puzzle, both in aesthetics and the logic involved :D
on 24. September 2023, 16:05 by Snookerfan
Excellent puzzle! Thank you
on 23. September 2023, 15:55 by samuel1997
Hi Chris! Is the long renban in fire a 9-cell renban? Thanks.
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@samuel1997 : Hi ! Sorry I saw your question a bit late. Did not receive the email. I see that you solved it though. Well done !
on 22. September 2023, 14:25 by Al Fresco
Lovely puzzle. It would be great to see some more mirrored digit puzzles :)
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@Al Fresco : Thanks ! I believe there are 2 others mirrored digits puzzles you haven't solved in my recently published puzzles. And I am preparing 1 (maybe 2) other puzzles that I'll publish soon.
>Excellent news. Thank you
on 19. September 2023, 18:20 by ViKingPrime
Absolutely incredible. I'm stunned at the intricate beauty of this puzzle; simple and subtle and yet somehow deeply rich.
on 19. September 2023, 12:27 by Playmaker6174
What an incredible journey with lots of surprising moments all over!
Personally I also found this really tricky and somewhat devious too, because the 'Fire' grid doesn't feel right to be this evil at all but again, it fits for the evil theme of the Fire Nation so I'll give you some extra point for that x)
on 19. September 2023, 05:30 by Koalagator2
Amazing Puzzle with a clever theme! I did find the puzzle a 5 star difficulty tho :)
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@Koalagator2 : Thanks ! I hesitated between 4 and 5 star because the individual deductions did not feel that hard to me, but it may feel harder because the puzzle is long.
on 18. September 2023, 22:33 by lerroyy
Great puzzle, thanks!
