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[SteveWinwood]

Okay a while ago I bought Hexcells and Hexcells Plus (the sequel), and had an absolute blast.

Hexcells Infinite came out last week and I've been playing through it now. I don't think I've ever seen anyone talk about them outside of the steam or indie game threads so here's this!

It's basically just another one of those sudoku/kakuro/picross games so if you're not into those, this is not for you. If you are then you're in luck!

The game basically starts out here:

which is pretty easy but don't worry by Plus it ramps up pretty quick to something like this:

Basically you're just trying to fill in all the hexes! Whether they're blue or grey the numbers and symbols give you clues and you get to logically figure it out.

"But how do I read that?!" I hear you say. Well it's easy. A number in the black cell just tells you how many blues are around that hexagon (think minesweeper). A number at the top of the column tells you how many blues are in that column. Numbers with brackets around them mean that all of the ones are together with no breaks. Numbers with dashes around them mean that there is at least one break. Barring one mechanic that comes later (blues with numbers in them) you just learned how to Hexcell! It's that simple!

The other thing about them is they're so calming. You get into this total zen state where you just start clicking and you don't stop and you're brain just knows what to do. The music is ripped straight out of Brian Eno's head and the sound effects just compliment it perfectly.

My one complaint is that they're always so short, you can beat Hexcells in a good hour or two and it never really challenges you. Hexcells Plus gets challenging but it's still not that long. Hexcells Infinite fixes all of this. It's hard and it also finally has a infinite puzzle creator so it never really runs out!

The first one is on sale for a dollar right now (for another 48 hours) so if you're curious try it out! You can buy all three for nine bucks which is a freaking steal. I'd pay like 30 bucks for all the enjoyment I've gotten out of these.

I know there are some fans here in the steam thread so have at it! And you can thank me later if you fall in love with it.

This is the one I'm on right now (near the end of Infinite):

 

[Gigarator]

Nerd³ video on the game.

 

[Gianni Merryman]

Yeah, Hexcells/+ is awesome, only advice is that in oder to enjoy the game one has to take one's time and not clicking randomly.

 

[Sendou]

Eh, what the hell. You sold me on the first game.

 

[Porcupine]

Finally a thread on this game, I would have made one myself, but there is a "Junior" in my member name

I leave this here:

 

[daydream]

I've only played the first one and it was pretty cool. Will get the other two once I've gone back and finished it.

 

[epmode]

I approve of this thread.

There are few better puzzle games available on PC. Start with the first game. If you like it, make sure you buy Infinite for the puzzle generator.

 

[Ruruja]

Love Hexcells to bits, such a relaxing, yet challenging game.

 

[Nabs]

Great thread for a great series.

Since the game doesn't require any guessing, you should always try for 1 or less mistakes. It took me over 10 hours to perfect Hexcells Plus, and I'm already at 9 hours with Infinite. I have about 3 or so more puzzles to do, and they are kicking my ass.

 

[Porcupine]

I hope the level generator in Hexcells Infinite doesn't imply, that there will be no Hexcells 4 =(.

 

[SteveWinwood]

Finally a thread on this game, I would have made one myself, but there is a "Junior" in my member name

I leave this here:

Have you tried this guys other games? I know he has some sort of tower defense thing.

 

[Parsnip]

According to Steam I'm 13 hours in Hexcells Infinite, I think I have 3 puzzles left that are just not opening up for me at all. Like one of them, I haven't been able to get a single hex done.

I also tried the generator and while it certainly makes more puzzles, I do prefer the authored ones.


A friend of mine just clicked randomly at everything in Hexcells+, and then took a picture of the near finished puzzle and started over. I mean, why even play if you are going to do that, wtf.

 

[Sendou]

Yeah OP was legit alright. Really fun game. Played the first two worlds of the first game. Reminds me of Picross. Chill game. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[n64coder]

I went to buy it and noticed that I already own this and the Plus version but haven't played any of them. I'm not a big steam user, only have 3 games in my account. Anyway, I'm off to install it on my laptop and play the first version.

 

[Gav47]

Really great game, if you're looking for other logic games on Steam I'd recommend Everyday Genius: SquareLogic

 

[Porcupine]

Have you tried this guys other games? I know he has some sort of tower defense thing.

Yep, Sentinel is his other game on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/293200/

But I'm not a huge fan of tower defense overall, so I can't really judge how good the game is.

Really great game, if you're looking for other logic games on Steam I'd recommend Everyday Genius: SquareLogic

Looks interesting, I have some idlemaster money to spend, so maybe I'll give a try.

So we are already speaking about it, are there more games like Hexcells on Steam? I can't get enough of logic games

 

[hardcastlemccormick]

Hexcells is so good. It might be one of my favorite Steam games. Great soundtrack, good prices.

I burned out on sudoku a few years ago but Hexcells tapped into that in a way that Picross never did.

 

[n64coder]

Since the game doesn't require any guessing, you should always try for 1 or less mistakes.

From the menu, is there a way to see which puzzles you did not do perfectly? I've made a few mistakes because I accidentally pressed the wrong button because I forgot which is which.

 

[Porcupine]

From the menu, is there a way to see which puzzles you did not do perfectly? I've made a few mistakes because I accidentally pressed the wrong button because I forgot which is which.

The unfinished (not perfected), but played puzzles will appear in a darker blue than the perfected puzzles.

EDIT:

1-1 is perfected, 1-2 not.

 

[KarmaCow]

From the menu, is there a way to see which puzzles you did not do perfectly? I've made a few mistakes because I accidentally pressed the wrong button because I forgot which is which.

I haven't tried Plus or Infinite yet but I don't think there is a way to see which ones you have perfected (ie no mistakes). You can see which ones you've achieved par and got all the gems by the sheen on the level but that doesn't always means perfecting.

 

[Gianni Merryman]

So we are already speaking about it, are there more games like Hexcells on Steam? I can't get enough of logic games

Lyne is another good one, and you may also try Rush.

I've made a few mistakes because I accidentally pressed the wrong button because I forgot which is which.

In my experience very often the game doesn't recognize correctly my mouse input so now every time I click on a tile I am extremely careful.

 

[Arthea]

Very nice little games (first two, the first feels more like demo or something, but still nice). I haven't played last one yet, but I will.
Also I second recommendation of LYNE, it's not like Hexcells, though, it's much more relaxing and chilling game, amazing for that purpose.

 

[Miker]

As a Picross fan, I approve of this thread. And this may sound crazy, but I wish these games were on iOS/Android. I think it's far more suitable for mobile than Picross, and I'd love to play them on the go.

 

[Kalor]

I bought Hexcells a while ago and I really enjoyed it. I think I played through all the levels on the same day I bought it but I haven't got round to buying Plus or Infinite yet. I did wish that there were more levels in the first game but the low price of the other games is nice.

 

[KarmaCow]

As a Picross fan, I approve of this thread. And this may sound crazy, but I wish these games were on iOS/Android. I think it's far more suitable for mobile than Picross, and I'd love to play them on the go.

Not crazy at all. I prefer puzzle games on mobile devices since they're so well suited to a pick up and play style.

 

[Arthea]

As a Picross fan, I approve of this thread. And this may sound crazy, but I wish these games were on iOS/Android. I think it's far more suitable for mobile than Picross, and I'd love to play them on the go.

I want Picross game on steam too. I played a lot of DS ones, but it's time to move to wider waters, for Picross that is.

 

[jem0208]

Did I just spend £0.67 on a Minesweeper clone? Albeit a very pretty one?



Edit: I'm not complaining, I really like it so far, I was just wondering if it had anything more to it.

 

[epmode]

As a Picross fan, I approve of this thread. And this may sound crazy, but I wish these games were on iOS/Android. I think it's far more suitable for mobile than Picross, and I'd love to play them on the go.

This would be perfect on tablets.

The only downside to this game is that the best puzzles require a lot of work for the puzzle creator which is why each game only has ~30 puzzles. The puzzle generator in Infinite is great but it's no substitute for a hand-crafted puzzle.

Steam Workshop support would be a godsend.

Did I just spend £0.67 on a Minesweeper clone? Albeit a very pretty one?

It's a far better game than Minesweeper. No guessing required.

 

[Visualante2]

Picked up this game after hearing some of the chatter in the Steam thread, and what RPS said about it. Haven't picked up the sequel yet but I could go for some more right about now.

Did I just spend £0.67 on a Minesweeper clone? Albeit a very pretty one?

It introduces new layers of gameplay throughout. Stick with it.

Literally waiting on someone to buy a card from me so I can pick up H+ without paying anything.

 

[Miker]

Not crazy at all. I prefer puzzle games on mobile devices since they're so well suited to a pick up and play style.

I want Picross game on steam too. I played a lot of DS ones, but it's time to move to wider waters, for Picross that is.

This would be perfect on tablets.

The only downside to this game is that the best puzzles require a lot of work for the puzzle creator which is why each game only has ~30 puzzles. The puzzle generator in Infinite is great but it's no substitute for a hand-crafted puzzle.

Steam Workshop support would be a godsend.

Word.

I think Picross would be great with a 3-button mouse (hold middle mouse to pan, left/right click to mark/cross). Picross 3D would be great with similar controls.

If I had my way, Picross 2D, Picross 3D, and the most recent version of Lumines would be on Steam with Steamplay Windows/Mac/Linux support. Hell, throw in Meteos for good measure.

Although my most-wanted puzzle game on Steam would be Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix...!

 

[SteveWinwood]

Did I just spend £0.67 on a Minesweeper clone? Albeit a very pretty one?

no

its much better

get a bit further if youre worried from the first few puzzles

 

[Parsnip]

These are what I have left on Infinite. 6-3 is the one I can't even get started at the moment, just can't see a way in. I have some ideas, and I'll figure it out eventually, but boy it's a lot harder than plus was, at least it seems.

 

[PetriP-TNT]

I love the game, at least the first one. I also got Hexcells+ which I haven't started yet and I didn't know that there was a third one! Awesome!

 

[FLD]

These games are great! I didn't even know a new one was coming out until it popped up on Steam out of nowhere. Grabbed it right away.

I just love how there's always a way to logically deduce the next move. Makes me want to avoid guess moves altogether, just feels like cheating. Is the random puzzle generator any good? I haven't had a chance to give it a shot yet.

 

[epmode]

Is the random puzzle generator any good? I haven't had a chance to give it a shot yet.

From the RPS review:

And with infinite, creator Matthew Brown frees himself of obligation to keep making more puzzles with the creation of a random puzzle generator. Put in an 8 digit string, and it’ll create a puzzle unique to that number. It has an option to randomly pick a number, or lets you use today’s date to offer a notion of a daily challenge. Or you could go loopy and just start at 00000001 and work your way up.

Of course these randomly generated puzzles do not equal the hundred or so Brown has hand-made – it’s immediately a different experience, the sense of craft removed. They tend to be more sprawling, less refined. But I still find them a giant heap of fun to play. In fact, after staring in utter bemusement at the final six puzzles in the main game for many hours, having a large-but-easier version of the game is a very pleasant alternative.

 

[SteveWinwood]

These games are great! I didn't even know a new one was coming out until it popped up on Steam out of nowhere. Grabbed it right away.

I just love how there's always a way to logically deduce the next move. Makes me want to avoid guess moves altogether, just feels like cheating. Is the random puzzle generator any good? I haven't had a chance to give it a shot yet.

It's alright, but in my experience (like five games) they're a bit easier than normal. Good to just get a fix, but nowhere near as good as the hand crafted ones. Might be better just to return to some of the other levels again.

 

[Emarv]

Love Hexcells. I approve of this thread.

 

[jblank83]

On sale for $1.

I'll buy that.

 

[RecursiveFault]

Was gonna grab just the first game for a buck, but instead I bought them all. I'll add this into my puzzle game rotation along with SpaceChem

 

[Syph Medwes]

It introduces new layers of gameplay throughout. Stick with it.

Such as?

 

[Miker]

Such as?

More types of clues. Hexes in a column, consecutive or not consecutive, and consecutive hexes around a hex. I was also relatively unimpressed for the first two worlds, but world 3 introduces all of the new mechanics and they make it infinitely more interesting.

 

[AScotAbroad]

Played through all of Hexcells in two sittings this week, and started on Plus this morning. FANTASTIC game, and Plus is immediately more fiendish than the original.

 

[FLD]

From the RPS review:

It's alright, but in my experience (like five games) they're a bit easier than normal. Good to just get a fix, but nowhere near as good as the hand crafted ones. Might be better just to return to some of the other levels again.

Cool, thanks. That's certainly better than nothing. My one complaint of the first two games would be how quickly they were over. I'm already almost halfway through Infinite and I barely played an hour.

 

[Nabs]

Cool, thanks. That's certainly better than nothing. My one complaint of the first two games would be how quickly they were over. I'm already almost halfway through Infinite and I barely played an hour.

World 4-5-6 will take much longer. You should also go for "Perfect" runs (1 mistake or less), since there is no guessing required.

 

[toythatkills]

You got me. I'm in.

 

[FLD]

World 4-5-6 will take much longer. You should also go for "Perfect" runs (1 mistake or less), since there is no guessing required.

Even in world 3 I'm already starting to find it a bit more challenging. And I usually restart whenever I make a mistake, yeah.

 

[Visualante2]

Such as?

You are equipped with more ways to solve puzzles, and when you get stuck you can just switch to a new mode of thinking and start solving a whole new chain.

 

[Nzyme32]

These games are insanely good. Managed to perfect the 2nd game and now I've just bought the 1st and 3rd games. Again trying to do them perfectly without any help, and because I know they are logic based, I know they have to be completable. As much as I hate getting stuck for 10s of minutes at a time, it's so satisfying to actually solve the things

 

[jem0208]

So far I'm really enjoying this game. I have run into one time where I had to guess though.

 

[Doomburrito7]

Did I just...buy a game and then marathon until I finished it?

And here I thought I would be productive today.

Hexcellent game!