The initial craze of Sudoku has long since died down, leaving just the enthusiasts who love solving problems to enjoy these huge puzzles and guess what, I am one of those such people, so this game is right down my ally.
Sudoku is a numerical based puzzle game, classically a 9x9 set of grids with numbers 1 to 9 populating them. At the start of the game you are given a few gimmies in the grid and its up to you to work out what number go where. Once you finish the grid you then move onto the next, and so on.
There have been a few attempts to put Sudoku on our gaming screens, and with such a simple game it’s hard to see why many get it wrong. Buku Sudoku is one of the better versions.
The layout is very simple, it has a nice notebook look to it and the backgrounds look like they are from a desk or table. Controls are very simple and make the game very easy to navigate. The right stick moves the cursor on the main grid whilst the left stick moves the number selector. Button A puts the selected number in pen whilst the X button puts a pencil note on the box, this is used mainly with the harder puzzles. The pencil marks are a bit small for the TV I am playing on but anything over 23" screen should not be a problem. When you have a correct line or box, the game will lock the numbers down, which should really help people at beginner’s level. However it does not allow for guessing, so make sure you are 100% the correct number is in, otherwise there could be a lot of backtracking. There is also the rather handy save option, so on the longer games you are able to save where you got to and return at a later date to finish off.
As with all puzzle games, music can be the down point, and this game offers no exception to this rule, there are a few tracks including a Japanese folk track, lullaby jazz and lift music to choose from, just reach for the mute button and everything will be OK.
There are plenty of game modes to try out. You can choose from classic or timed events. Each offers 4 layouts, 6x6, 8x8, 9x9 or the more difficult 12x12 which also includes letters. On top of this there are three difficulty settings to choose from. There are loads of puzzle combos to play through and already there is a free download on Live for a further 1200 so you will not be finishing this anytime soon.
In addition to the single player you also have multiplayer, where you can co-op to complete some of the harder games. As with many Arcade Live games, it is hard to find an opponent online, so I can’t really rate this part of the game.
Overall, if you are a fan of Sudoku this is for you. If you are unsure try the demo and see what you think. With support in the way of more downloadable puzzles this is really good value for those of you out there that like more laid back games.
