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Where Are the Good Sudoku Games?
When I play a game, I want a sense of progression. Why are there so few Sudoku games that take note of this? Am I the only one who wants progression even when I’m playing casually? I doubt it – I suspect the problem lies with lazy or misguided developers.
A while ago I read a blog entry concerning how the Sudoku game would look if tech companies had developed it. Sudoku is perfect, it argues; nothing more is needed, and would in fact lower the simplistic pleasure of the game. This is very true for the game itself, but – as another blog comments – computer games need to think about usability and the fun factor. Sudoku itself might be perfect, but computer implementations benefit from making the game more attractive, appealing and usable. Why else would we play it on a computer, rather than with a pen and paper?
I demand more from computer Sudokus than from newspaper counterparts. A lot more! Personally I don’t care about bells and whistles; as long as the font is readable and the user interface is decent, I’m happy. But – as I mentioned – I want progression; I want to feel that I’m achieving something.
In my search for good Sudoku games I’ve encountered a few online gems, such as Sudoku League and Sudoku Combat. The latter is a two-player Sudoku battle; beat the game faster than your opponent. The idea is excellent, and I love the fact that it shows what cells the other player has solved – this makes the game slightly more interesting, since a slightly less proficient player can look at the cells that the other player has filled in. He knows that these can be derived from existing knowledge. Of course, it also opens up new strategies, such as filling a cell with a false number on purpose in order to fool the opponent.
Sudoku League, on the other hand, is a one-player game. Every day, a Sudoku puzzle is posted, and you can attempt to solve it on time once a day. If you succeed, you are given a score, depending on how well you fared compared to all others who played that day. The Sudoku League page keeps the scores for the day, for the month, and a history of every month. Now, this is something I like! It gives the game a reason – a purpose! And in addition to that, it has a great user interface. Simple, granted, but it makes do without switching between “enter number” and “enter temporary note” states. I hate that.
I’ve also tried a couple of downloadable Sudoku games in the hopes that they would offer something more than online versions. There are for example Ancient Sudoku and Sudoku Pagoda, or Sudoku Works. The developers of these games really should have read the previous blog entries concerning tech companies and Sudoku: they offer nothing interesting at all, in my opinion - only bells and whistles. (I have to make a footnote here: Sudoku Works really does have some interesting features and a good user interface. It brings added value, but not the kind I’m looking for when I’m playing casually.)
Sure, the graphics are neat, and sure, there is music and sound effects. But the actual games are pathetic: single-player Sudoku without a single reason to play them. You can only compete against yourself. This is great for online games – I don’t have high demands for games where I only want to waste a few minutes on an amusing puzzle; but for a downloadable game, I demand something interesting. A storyline, perhaps, like Mah Jong Quest? Or something to show a progression, at least.
I seem to recall that I found a downloadable multiplayer Sudoku game as well, but I never tested it; I refuse to play games that unnecessarily require me to register an account before I can see how it feels to play them.
In general, I feel that many downloadable Sudoku game developers are missing out on a great opportunity if they only aim for the people who want a graphically enhanced single-player game: I would love to play a story-based Sudoku or a good multiplayer one, and I doubt that I’m the only one.