The Laws of Nature Shattered
(Published on 16. September 2025, 17:13 by Thorsby)
Rules:
Normal Sudoku rules apply.
Three of the following rules apply, one does not:
1. A clue outside the grid is the sum of all the digits between the 1 and the 9 in the corresponding row or column.
2. Digits along a thermometer increase from the bulb end.
3. A black dot between two cells means the digit in one of those cells is twice as big as in the other. (Not all dots are necessarily given.)
4. A digit in a cell with a square indicates how many times that digit appears in a cell with a square.
The puzzle:
solve on sudokupad app: Link
Solution code: Column 1, top to bottom, no gaps between digits.
Comments
today, 00:35 by VitP
regarding the difficulty rating:
you need to understand the counting squares variant well, and the other variants fairly well, plus there's enough effort required that a difficulty rating of 3 is fine.
regarding the quality rating: this is an EXCELLENT puzzle, and the people who put in a low score were likely drunk.
[Thorsby: Thanks for the nice comment, but I am removing part of it as it reveals how to solve the puzzle. If you want to discuss such things you can make a hidden comment, that is only seen by people who have already solved the puzzle.]
if you like counting squares or sandwiches, you will LOVE this puzzle.
yesterday, 22:57 by VitP
right off the bat, without even attempting a solve, we can see that the low quality rating is WRONG, and the 3 star quality rating is PROBABLY wrong.
this is a significant failing on this site - far too many ratings do not correspond to objective reality..
details later
yesterday, 22:48 by Fool on Hill
This puzzle is nicely conceived and might be called "three true clues and a possible lie". It is only when you get into solving it that you realise how tightly and cleverly it has been clued. It took a while to get used to it, but I enjoyed it when I did. The ambiguity and tension drive the solve in unexpected ways.
on 18. September 2025, 15:48 by Voidslime
What an awesome and unique puzzle! At first i tried breaking it by just testing the missing variant but I’m really glad i slowed down and solved as intended. Amazing intricate setting!
on 17. September 2025, 01:16 by CitrusGremlin
When you say one rule does not apply do you mean that one rule *doesn't have* to be followed, or that for one rule we have to make sure it is *never* followed.
[Thorsby: Does not have to be followed.}
