Zen of Sudoku
Encyclopedia
Sudoku
is a logic-based, combinatorial number-placement puzzle. The objective is to fill a 9×9 grid with digits so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 sub-grids that compose the grid contains all of the digits from 1 to 9...
based computer game
Computer and video games
A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but following popularization of the term "video game", it now implies any type of...
developed by Charlie Cleveland of Unknown Worlds Entertainment
Unknown Worlds Entertainment
Unknown Worlds is an independently-owned American game development company whose goal is to "unite the world through play". Based in San Francisco, California, the studio is best known for the forthcoming sequel to Natural Selection, due to be released in 2011.-History:Unknown Worlds was formed in...
and released on June 20, 2006. Although the casual games market is not the intended direction of Unknown Worlds, or of Cleveland, Zen of Sudoku was produced in order to generate revenue towards funding Natural Selection 2
Natural Selection 2
Natural Selection 2 is a multiplayer computer game mixing first-person shooter and real-time strategy gameplay. It is set in a science fiction universe, and is currently under development....
, a sequel to the original Natural Selection
Natural Selection (computer game)
Natural Selection is a modification for the video game Half-Life. Its concept is a mixture of the first-person shooter and real-time strategy game genres....
modification for Half-Life. Cleveland cites casual games development as a "last option" for funding this sequel, having been unwilling to sacrifice control of the company to external investors.
The game features automated generation of sudoku puzzles at varying difficulty levels as well as a hint and tutorial system, which not only teaches players the basics of the game, but also teaches them further advanced strategies.
Currently, the game is available for purchase directly from the website at http://www.zenofsudoku.com/, and on Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation is an American video game development and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington, United States...
's Steam platform. A flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
based web version is also in production.
Gameplay
Zen of Sudoku does not change any of the standard gameplay rules of sudoku. Its main focus is that you can "Relax with hand-painted Japanese-styled backgrounds, no timer and lush natural soundscapes." Rather than use background music, typical wildlife noises are played, with simple harp-like tones played in response to numbers entered. Like many other computer sudoku games, players can select a specific difficulty level, and can be provided tutorials for basic play and strategies.External links
- Zen of Sudoku official website
- Unknown Worlds Entertainment official website
- Steam official website
- Bootstrapping Core through Casual at GameDevGameDevGameDev.net is a website dedicated to game development, founded by Kevin Hawkins, Dave Astle, and Michael Tanczos among others, in 1999. It serves as a central trade resource and media outlet for the computer and video game industry, with particular regards to hobbyist and independent developers...