Logic Masters Deutschland e.V.

Intro

For this Hybrid Star Battle Series I will be sharing a new puzzle each week combining Star Battle with another puzzle genre. This week's genre is Masyu, specifically the (Total) variant. This is the first puzzle in the series to feature a "negative" constraint, where the absence of a clue can be more important than its presence. I generally like puzzles with this kind of thinking, though it may take a while to understand the implications at first. I hope you enjoy it!

Rules

Nearly standard Star Battle and Masyu (Total) rules apply, where stars act as additional Masyu clues:

• Star Battle: Shade some cells such that each row and column contain exactly 2 shaded cells. Shaded cells may not touch one another, not even diagonally.
• Masyu: Draw a non-intersecting loop through the centers of some cells that passes through every clue. The loop must turn on black circles and travel straight through the cells on either side. The loop must go straight through white circles, and turn in at least one of the cells on either side.
  • Total variant: Shaded cells must act as black or white circles. All possible black and white circles are either given or shaded. Given clues may not be shaded.

Links

Solve on Penpa+

8x8 2-star Example (Penpa+ link):