Telegraph Sudoku & Kakuro

Genre: Compilation / Sudoku Puzzle / Puzzle

Players: 1

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Review:

Telegraph Sudoku & Kakuro is a Compilation of different varieties of the two named Puzzle games originally released on mobile devices in 2009 and ported to PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DSi via the DSiWare service in 2010, and then grandfathered into the Nintendo 3DS eShop when that system was released. This software costs $2 and contains a whopping 2500 puzzles: 900 Sudoku puzzles, 400 Sudoku X Puzzles, 400 Jigsaw Sudoku puzzles, 400 Mini Sudoku Puzzles, and 400 Kakuro Puzzles. In terms of bang for buck, this is clearly about as good as you can hope for on Nintendo 3DS without going for something procedurally-generated.

The presentation here is good but nothing special. The puzzles are presented in a clean fashion, backed by four light synthesized themes that all get a bit repetitive before long, but at least having some choice here is nice.

For those who have yet to try their hand at Sudoku, the simple premise is that players are provided a grid divided into 3×3 fields, with each field further divided into 3×3 squares. The grid already has some numbers filled in, and players must fill in the rest of the grid while following these simple rules: each row and column must include the numbers 1-9 with none repeating, and each 3×3 field must also contain the numbers 1-9 with none repeating. Players solve this puzzle largely using a process of elimination – once you know what numbers can’t be in a square, you can narrow it down to what must be there.

Sudoku X works by much the same rules, but adds an additional rule – both diagonal lines that cross the 9×9 grid must also include the numbers 1-9 with none repeating. This extra rule both makes things easier (there’s now one more way to eliminate possibilities to find the correct solution) and harder (the puzzles are designed in a way that often requires you to use that way to come to the solution).

Jigsaw Sudoku works much the same way as normal sudoku, but instead of individual sections of the grid being 3×3 squares, they are now instead various odd shapes. And Mini Sudoku uses the same basic rules, but with a smaller board design and fewer numbers.

As for Kakuro, the premise here is that you have a crossword puzzle-style board, where “down” and “across” spaces don’t correspond to trivia clues, but to a total number that the included cels must add up to. Cels can only be filled with numbers ranging from 1-9, with no cels repeating within one consecutive line of cels. Using these rules, players must deduce which numbers belong in every cel in the puzzle.

As an example, a line of two cels with an indicating number of 4 can only have an answer of some combination of 1+3, because 2+2 would repeat a number. Likewise, a line of three cels that equals 6 must be 1+2+3, and a line of three that equals 7 must be 1+2+4. Those numbers could be in any order, but when you look at other adjacent numbers you can narrow down which number belongs where.

Of course, the real questions I tend to have when it comes to Sudoku videogames and games of a similar fashion are, “how are the controls?” and “how are the features?”. For the controls, Telegraph Sudoku & Kakuro may be the best-controlling game of Sudoku I’ve ever played (and Kakuro is similarly excellent), with extremely approachable touchscreen controls that help to streamline the process. On the other hand, while there are a few decent features here, some noteworthy stuff is missing, like tutorials for the included games.

However, for a game that only costs $2, I feel like nitpicking the few things that are missing here is just looking for stuff to complain about. Simply put, at a budget price, Telegraph Sudoku & Kakuro provides an absolute wealth of great Puzzle gameplay with excellent controls. Packages multiple times more expensive than this one don’t pack the quality and quantity that this game offers. If you’re a Puzzle Game fan on Nintendo 3DS, consider this game a must-have.

tl;dr – Telegraph Sudoku & Kakuro is a Compilation of 2500 Puzzles in various Sudoku styles as well as Kakuro’s blend of Sudoku and Crossword-style gameplay, all for only $2. The control in this game is excellent, and while there are some important features missing here, this is about as great a value package that Puzzle game lovers on the Nintendo 3DS could hope for. Definitely a gem on the Nintendo 3DS eShop.

Grade: B+

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