Help Me Choose a Game
Hitori, Nurikabe, Norinori and Shikaku all fit on a small grid and all have exactly one answer, but they ask for different kinds of thinking. Answer a few questions and see which one suits you.
The short version
| What the numbers do | What you do | Good if you like | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hitori | Every square has one; repeats are the target | Erase repeated numbers, keep the rest connected | Scanning for patterns |
| Nurikabe | Each is the size of an island | Grow islands, leave one connected wall | Picturing shapes |
| Norinori | There are none; regions are outlined | Shade exactly two squares per region, paired like dominoes | Starting from almost nothing |
| Shikaku | Each is the area of a rectangle | Cut the grid into rectangles, one number in each | Factoring and tiling |
If you are brand new to all of them, Which Should You Learn First? goes into more detail, and five habits of careful solvers applies to every one of them.
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