Beyond (Nurikabe Sudoku)
(Published on 15. July 2025, 20:10 by MaizeGator)
This puzzle is a sequel to the very first 9x9 sudoku that I set and published to this portal. It follows the exact ruleset as the original, but features deeper and more interesting logic (hopefully!).
- Sudoku: Fill each cell with a digit 1-9 such that each digit appears exactly once in every row, column, and 3x3 box.
- Nurikabe: Shade some cells (representing water) such that all shaded cells are orthogonally connected, but never fully cover a 2x2 area. Groups of orthogonally connected unshaded cells form islands. Two separate islands cannot touch one another orthogonally, but may touch diagonally.
- Killer (variant): Digits may not repeat on an island. Each island contains exactly one numbered clue, which gives the product of the sum of the digits on the island and the size (number of cells) of the island, e.g. an island filled with 346 is would have a '39' clue (13x3). A '?' may represent any number (not necessarily single-digit).
- Arrows: A cell with arrow(s) may be land or water, and the digit gives the total number of island cells in the indicated directions combined, not including itself. Not all arrows are given.
Solution code: Shaded (water) cells in Row 5
Comments
on 27. July 2025, 08:18 by Toxter
Very cool deductions all throughout!
on 20. July 2025, 10:48 by GoodMorningCallum
A fantastic puzzle with some amazingly satisfying logic right up until the end. Thank you!
on 20. July 2025, 08:23 by madhupt
This is a very very enjoyable puzzle! After the rather beautiful break-in, there were so many moments of great satisfaction the way the pencil marks interacted with islands. It’s quite stunning how it all falls into place in the end. Every clue came into its own right till the end. Thanks for sharing this.
on 18. July 2025, 13:15 by Agent
Awesome puzzle!
on 17. July 2025, 17:40 by jwsinclair
Brilliant puzzle :)
on 16. July 2025, 22:39 by Myxo
Great puzzle!
on 16. July 2025, 19:06 by MattYDdraig
Some stunning trickery here. Absolutely loved it.
on 16. July 2025, 16:58 by Piatato
Great fun, thanks!
on 16. July 2025, 12:11 by Snookerfan
Fabulous puzzle! I really loved the incredibly clever break-in and the magical R2C9 clue. Then the solve kept on being challenging and great fun. Thank you
on 16. July 2025, 06:46 by sfushidahardy
Great puzzle! It looks unassuming, but I personally found it to be the most difficult MaizeGator puzzle since Cyclone.
on 15. July 2025, 20:58 by Christounet
Very nice sequel! Enjoyed testing it. Thanks :)
