I mean, it IS a square, after all
(Published on 18. May 2026, 19:48 by kingoffries)
Thanks to Razalynn, Davide, and MrMeme for testing. Suggested rating was 2/5, but one tester found it 4/5. Seems some people found this puzzle easy and others quite difficult.
Regular sudoku rules apply. Except that the value of every digit is squared. (A six has a value of 6*6=36)
German whisper lines: values on a green line must differ by a value of at least 5 squared (or 25).
Region sum lines (rsl): values on a blue line must sum to the same value when divided by region borders.
Hint 1: You can work out the 4-1 rsl line right away, but it may be faster to wait until you've narrowed it down a bit.
Hint 2: Remember the pythagorean theorem: a^2 + b^2 = c^2. Where could it fit?
Hint 3: You may need to work out all the 2 cell sum combos. How many possible pairs sum to the same number?
The puzzle:
Play here:
Solution code: row 5
Comments
yesterday, 17:39 by VitP
definitely NOT level 2. anyone who claims otherwise is simply denying reality.
first of all, you have to write down the first nine square numbers. then add them up. that's easy enough, even if you don't "remember" the formula n(n+1)(2n+1)/6.
next, you have to work out the pattern for the green lines from scratch. and there is NO clear pattern.
and that's enough to get you to level 2. and you haven't even made a single mark on the grid yet.
so, level 3 at least.
at least you have ONE HONEST tester
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KingOfFries: Thanks for playing, many people find mathematical puzzles like this very easy, and others very difficult. Whatever you find the difficulty to be, I hope you find it to be a satisfying solve!
And you might be the first to use the formula on this puzzle, I never even considered that. I always find there are so many brilliant people here.
yesterday, 04:05 by NPlusOne
Fun puzzle! Was initially challenging in figuring out the combos that worked on the RSLs, but was very smooth and satisfying afterwards!
on 18. May 2026, 23:43 by kingoffries
Changed description
on 18. May 2026, 23:42 by kingoffries
Changed difficulty to reflect consensus rating
on 18. May 2026, 22:46 by jeffrey.l.byrd19
I have this at 2 stars. I only found it hard in that a large part of what we know about both regions sums and GW lines has to be tossed out, but once you wrap your head around it, theres not that many combinations of numbers that work on most of these lines. I found this to be very clever and fun!
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Thank you for playing, I hope you enjoyed it!
