My favorite grid puzzles
The grid puzzle is a puzzle game that uses some kind of grid as a board. Some traits I particularly like about this genre are:
Pattern recognition. The solution process relies mainly on pattern recognition (like in Go) rather than heavy calculation (like in Chess). This makes for a relaxing experience rather than excessive mental strain.
Scientific exploration. The more levels you play, the more principles and techniques you discover all by yourself! This process of discovery feels amazing!
Bite-sized gameplay. Solving a level usually takes only a few minutes, or even less if you are experienced.
Elegance. Solving a puzzle often involves some clever steps that feel incredibly satisfying to pull off!
I enjoy this genre immensely. Let me share some of my favorites!
Star battle. The board is a 10x10 grid divided into 10 areas, with 20 stars hidden across it. Every row, column and area contains exactly two stars. No two stars can occupy adjacent cells. The goal is to locate all the stars. There are multiple apps in the App Store that implement this game, but I find this particular one the most convenient. Mainly because of minimalistic design and single time IAPs for additional levels (as opposed to monthly subscriptions that some other apps offer).
Every level has a unique solution. The strategic depth this game offers despite looking so simple is amazing! Just as an example, I once finished all the levels in a different Star Battle app (on Android) and was considering myself an expert in this game, haha. Since then, however, I have discovered so many new techniques and nuances that my entire arsenal changed completely!
Flow Free. There are several pairs of colored dots in the board. Your goal is to connect them so that connections take all the space and don’t intersect. This is very easy on boards 4x4 or 5x5, but becomes quite challenging on boards 14x14 or 15x15. Again, there are lots of apps implementing this puzzle, but I found this one the best because of minimalistic design and different QOL features.
Tents and Trees. Several trees are planted in the board. Each tree has its own tent in an adjacent cell, hidden from you. Two tents can’t occupy adjacent cells. It is also known how many tents there is in every row and column. The objective is to spot all the tents. A very addicting puzzle!
Hexa Slitherlink. Another quite popular puzzle. You must connect some dots so that a single loop is formed. The numbers tell you how many lines are there around them. The most convenient app for this puzzle, in my opinion, is on Android, but this also will do fine.
0h n0 and 0h h1. Very nice grid puzzle games that lean toward the simpler side of the genre. Also, they are completely free (with an option to support the dev through an IAP)!
I usually play these games while listening to podcast or watching stream, devouring literally hundreds of levels in one sitting. Would love to hear about your favorite grid puzzles!