Odyssey 1: Ashes of Troy
(Published on 19. May 2026, 14:56 by Testarossa)
Through smoke, ash, and the cries of the conquered city of Troy, Odysseus gathers what remains of his men. The horse has done its work, the towers have fallen, and the streets are choked with rubble and flame. He must gather the spoils and retreat.
The way out lies hidden in the smoke. Only a narrow path can lead the Greeks from the ruined heart of Troy to the waiting shore. Step carefully: the fires still tower above the road, and the shattered city will not let its destroyers leave unchallenged.
Rules:
- Normal Sudoku rules apply
- The grid is covered with fog. Placing the correct digits may reveal fog somewhere in the grid.
- Draw a 1-cell wide path moving orthogonally through the grid from R6C9 to R5C1. Adjacent cells on the path must differ by at least 5. The path can't go through obstacles, like buildings, rubble, and pillars.
- Digits in buildings may not repeat and must sum to a total, if given. Digits in buildings must be higher than adjacent digits on the path.
For better visibility, turn on "Outlines on digits" in SudokuPad settings, or play Version without background art
Solution code: row 2 (9 digits)
Comments
on 25. May 2026, 20:07 by grrz
Nice and easy. I didn’t use the clue in box 1, btw
on 23. May 2026, 16:49 by Meneerbakker
Love the design and narrative! Didn't need 10 years like Odysseys.
on 23. May 2026, 13:07 by fremy
I'm super glad I found this after listening so many hours to EPIC the musical. The concept is cool and I like the fog mechanics, really well done :)
on 20. May 2026, 22:46 by Finn
Listening to EPIC while solving this >>>
Lovely puzzle, very enjoyable :)
Hopefully the start of a new series?
If so, can't wait for the next puzzle!
on 20. May 2026, 18:46 by CitrusGremlin
Lovely puzzle with a beautiful aesthetic. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
on 20. May 2026, 18:17 by iEtsh
It was a rubble!
on 20. May 2026, 11:49 by VitP
must be a bunch of TROJANS here downvoting this puzzle. LOSERS. we beat you, fair and square. delenda troia est. now accept your fate, and stop whining. whiny slaves are so annoying. the gods have spoken, and they spoke GREEK.
as for people complaining about being unable to see through the smoke and rubble, that's kind of the point.
as long as fog puzzles have existed, this has been a problem, and there have been zero complaints about it. until now. trojans.
there are at least 2 easy fixes.
1) paint the whole grid YELLOW before starting the puzzle.
2) turn colours OFF
as for the setter, who has done an EXCELLENT job in creating a narrative and graphics and sudoku, the CHORUS is singing your praises, and "whiny trojans, take note ... a taste of the whip, and you will soon be singing GREEK ... and note that athena, hera, and poseidon deserve sacrifices"
on 20. May 2026, 02:31 by SHERAX
Easy and very nice
on 20. May 2026, 00:48 by ottersaurus
Agree with previous commenters, the pillar in box 4 needs clarification.
on 20. May 2026, 00:41 by lootyloot
Nice puzzle. I was stuck since i didnt understand what the pillar in box 4 implied under the 1-cell wide rule.
on 19. May 2026, 23:20 by Testarossa
Sorry to hear that dzamie. I've added a tip for accessibility and version without image exactly for this
on 19. May 2026, 21:32 by dzamie
That was hardly enjoyable at all, thanks to how much I had to squint just to see the puzzle. I think this is the first time I've seen where blanketing the grid with the color tool makes it *easier* to see what I'm typing.
Interesting logic, and conceptually cool theming, but man. That was a *slog.*
on 19. May 2026, 20:30 by TheJRMY
Lovely. Looking forward to more of Odyssey. Maybe even Iliad.
on 19. May 2026, 19:04 by Testarossa
Thank you for your comments, added version without background art
on 19. May 2026, 18:46 by Merdock
Fun puzzle. Like Sleeky21 said, it was difficult to read the markings from the background. While I enjoy the imagery, an alternative basic version will mean less strain on my eyes.
on 19. May 2026, 18:31 by sleeky21
Lovely puzzle, with a nice flow.
However I found pencilmarks hard to read because of the background.
I would avoid that in future (or perhaps release an alternative basic view version)
Thanks!
