Sudocats has a number of cats.
Remember sudoku? That number puzzle that loads of nerds were into around twenty years ago? Well now it’s back but with cats instead of numbers! I joke, as I actually quite liked sudoku puzzles back then, and still do to this day. Allergies mean I’m a little less keen on cats, but the team at Devcats clearly love the two things equally as they had a seemingly mad idea of fusing them into a single entity in the form of Sudocats.
I’ll get this out of the way early. This is literally sudoku but with pictures of cats instead of numbers. If that tickles your fancy then you’ll be absolutely happy with this product. It’s around £2, it’s brightly coloured, it has sudoku, and it has cute pictures of cats. Lovely. If you’re undecided, I’ll go into what Sudocats actually offers.
If you’re unfamiliar with the number puzzle that is sudoku, you are presented with a grid of squares. Usually, this is nine by nine, but there are six by six and four by four variants as well. In each row, column, and three by three square, the numbers one to nine must appear once each. Using the limited information you’re provided with, you need to fill in the blanks. They can vary from quite simplistic to devilishly fiendish, but they can be completed with enough time and focus, even if sometimes you have to make mistakes along the way. I find them quite satisfying to complete, personally!
In Sudocats, the numbers are replaced with cute cartoon cats, with you needing to do the same as regular sudoku, but with different pictures. There’s an option to change the pictures into numbers if you want, but I feel that kind of defeats the object. Initially, you get 27 puzzles to complete, ranging from four by four to nine by nine grids. As you’d expect, the larger ones, later on, are trickier and take a bit longer, but none of them were outrageously challenging. There are harder bonus puzzles to complete, as well as a daily puzzle too, which is nice.
Each time you complete a set of three puzzles, you get a little fact file about one of the cats, which is a lovely touch. I assume these belong to the developers, so it’s nice to see a little window into their influence for the game. There are nine to collect as you work your way through the puzzles, as well as a few hints and tips about how to adopt and care for cats. It’s not what I’d be getting into the game for, but again it’s a nice inclusion.
As you complete early stages, you gain access to power-ups that make the puzzles easier. Again, they aren’t monstrously challenging, but they’re there if you want to use them. Aside from the daily challenges, there aren’t a huge number of puzzles on offer here, and a more experienced puzzler may well get through this very quickly. Honestly, the difficulty, theme, and inclusion of helpers makes this feel like an introduction to this type of puzzle, or something aimed at a younger audience. Those brightly coloured backgrounds and light music can also be changed during a stage if you want too. It’s quite pleasant.
There isn’t really much to complain about, as Sudocats seems to be everything the developers wanted it to be. It’s cute, simple, and a nice little time waster for fans of light puzzle games. The PC version includes free printable versions of the puzzles too if you wanted them, which is another nice feature. I don’t feel like there’s a huge audience for this, but for those that it finds, I think they’ll have a nice time.
Sudocats is available now on Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
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