Nikoli Logic Puzzles

[winstein]

This is probably an odd thread in Land of the Rising Sun, since what's commonly found here are related to anime and manga. However, because Nikoli is a Japanese publisher, it fits this thread. Since this is about paper puzzles and not video games, I felt it does not really fit the video games thread, even though there are video games based on Nikoli puzzles.

Basically, Nikoli is responsible for inventing these logic puzzles that really got us thinking. The solving methods are typically mathematical, for most of them have numbers, as opposed to word puzzles like crosswords (which they also have, but is not their invention). Perhaps the best known Nikoli puzzle is Sudoku. In fact, I won't be surprised if Sudoku is the only Nikoli puzzle most of you know. If you don't know what Sudoku is, it's a puzzle where each row, column and box have to have a unique number each. Unlike most puzzles, Sudoku only have one rule (usually it's three). No wonder it's popular: it's easy to learn.

That is to say that there are other Nikoli puzzles as well. The next most well-known one is Kakuro (pictured above on the right), which is essentially a puzzle where addition is a required skill, in addition to Sudoku's rule of having unique numbers in each row or column.

Some of the puzzles are not invented by Nikoli, but since they are part of their publication, they are also included. There are a few Nikoli puzzles that aren't unique enough to be something that truly came from them. For example, Word Seek is a variation of the word search puzzle. There's also Maze, which is going from point A to point B within the maze.

My favourite puzzle is Slitherlink. In this puzzle, you have a lattice of dots with you need to connect horizontally/vertically so that they form one continuous loop, while adhering to the numbers that indicate the number of lines adjacent to it.

Being a puzzle fan, I love how there are different ways to have a logic puzzle, since I find myself a bit bored with Sudoku. Kakuro is something I could get into because it's unique enough for me to look at. When my uncle gave me a logic puzzle book containing different puzzles, I was amazed at the variety. Some were easier than others, such as Hashi (or Hashiwokakero) and Slitherlink, but some were really difficult, like Heyawake. It made me realise that there are a lot of ways to make a logic puzzle than I thought.

I found it interesting that a lot of these puzzles emphasise inter-connectivity, where the puzzle-solver either have to make sure they have only one continuous loop or the grid needs to be interconnected without any isolated areas. Quite a few have uniqueness in their premise, such as the famous Sudoku and the not-as-famous Kakuro.

Initially, I wanted to add a poll, but found that there are too many puzzles to include that I decided against it since it would make the page too long.

So, what are your thoughts on Nikoli puzzles? Which are your favourites?

Thanks for reading.