Broken Phasers
(Published on 8. September 2026, 13:25 by deleva)
This puzzle was inspired by two milestone masterpieces:
- Pick the right 5, by Kurt Hugo Schneider, featured on YouTube here (Feb 5, 2020) and here (Feb 6, 2020)
- Sator Square, by Br1312te, featured on YouTube here (Nov 11, 2024)
Click on the image to solve this puzzle online
Rules:
- Normal sudoku rules apply.
- Phasers: This Space Invader has five grey phasers. Digits on them measure the temperature of their bulbs and tips. Only three phasers are ready to fire. Their tips are hotter than their bulbs. The other two, which must be determined by the solver, are broken. Their tips are colder than their bulbs.
- Eyes: The blue eyes of the Invader can be ignored. Digits on them are not restricted.
- Magic Shields: A green square contains 9 distinct digits. Its rows, columns and main diagonals all add up to the same number.
- Cosmic Whisper Lines: Two cells connected by an orange line must have a difference of at least 4.
Solution code: Row 9. Please read my hidden comment after entering the solution code.
Last changed on on 8. September 2026, 15:22
Solved by StefanSch, jalebc, andreatetta, lmdemasi, Kenji769, bansalsaab, ShuffBeeeell, SKORP17, osmie, nimrandir, Arheus, han233ing, palletpusher, Gnosis66, kangaroo
Comments
Last changed on 25. September 2026, 11:19
on 17. September 2026, 05:11 by palletpusher
Wow what a struggle! The magic square and whisper bits came easily, but I kept expecting the thermos to resolve before fully painting the entire board with all nine colours. In the end I did resort to bifurcation for the phasers. Very fun puzzle; not sure what I missed at the end.
deleva: Brute force or bifurcation is not required to solve this puzzle. You just need to ask the right questions... I summarized my intended solving path below, in a hidden comment that was revealed to you when you entered the solution code.
