Rolldoku is a fresh new take on the concept behind Sudoku. It is a puzzle game that requires you to fill in boxes within a grid and ensure that within each huge box, row and column, there is only one unique individual number (meaning numbers 1 – 9 without any repetition within that row, column or huge box). Instead of filling in numbers at will, rolldoku requires players to roll and scroll through a cylinder of numbers, swap the rows around etc in order to complete the puzzle.
It is a concept that does indeed bring about a new form of challenge to an old classic puzzle game. The strategy and skills behind Rolldoku are definitely very much different from Sudoku. In Rolldoku, you are given preset numbers. It is your job to find the perfect match of these numbers by adjusting the rows, and spinning or rolling the numbers to get the ideal set of numbers. The same rules that apply for Sudoku apply here in Rolldoku: unique number for the row, column and for the box that the number is within. To keep it short, each Rolldoku puzzle is a Sudoku puzzle with all the boxes filled. These answer sheet is then wrapped into a cylinder and there you get a rolldoku puzzle!
I must say that Rolldoku is extremely tough, and frustrating. It might be just me but from the very start I felt lost. It is overwhelming with so many numbers and the magnitude is heightened with quite a number of rows present. Irony at its very best isn’t it? In Sudoku if you have many numbers already within the grid, the job to complete the puzzle is extremely easy. However, in Rolldoku you get all the different set of numbers at the very start. It is your job to arrange them and arranging them is tough, very very tough. You have to scroll through the numbers and remember what set of numbers there are in each row.
Strategies? Hints? I really need quite a lot of them. It is frustrating to scroll through each row, try remembering the different numbers and then matching them up with the rest of the rows. I would definitely prefer some form of indication of what numbers there are within the row rather than scrolling through them and taxing my mind to remember them. I mean I don’t find any skill in that or pleasure knowing that I can remember all the different numbers. I would rather have skills in solving a particular box or something like in Sudoku. I am sure, however, that if I can ever remember all the set of numbers in each row, I would be able to find a winning strategy to solve each puzzle. But as of yet I have no luck at all.
Whether or not the game is judged to be challenging or impossible is up to you. I read through some of the comments for the free version and people enjoyed it. Not sure how true the comments and ratings are but there is the possibility that people out there find the game fun and intellectually rewarding. For me, I think I would rather have my Sudoku puzzles instead. Rolldoku does bring a new challenge but this challenge is way too much for me. For the rest, I hope you are up to the extremely steep learning curve.
Other than the concept behind the game, the scrolling and moving of rows is flawless and smooth. Instructions are present that teaches you about the control scheme within the game. The graphics are fine and professional looking. It doesn’t strain your eyes should you stare too long at a puzzle. There are countless numbers of different puzzles to test your brains if one isn’t enough. Each puzzle does have multiple solutions so don’t give up like me. There is a timer present as well which is useful if you want to compete with your friends since puzzles can be specifically chosen rather than being randomly generated.
If you get to pass the steep learning curve you will be able to enjoy Rolldoku very much. It is like when I started out Sudoku puzzles, it was pretty challenging but as time went by it became extremely rewarding. Rolldoku is very similar, just that to actually get past the first hurdle can be tough for many. Nevertheless, there is the choice to try out the free version. I strongly encourage all to try out without paying first, and if you get to complete some if not all the puzzles, the paid one is something you must get.
| iTunes Appstore Link: | Rolldoku (Free) |
| Rolldoku Pro ($2.99) |
The Rolldoku puzzles look intensely hard when you first start, but like Sudoku puzzles, you logically work your way through. In my experience, they take about the same amount of time as traditional Sudoku. Some more, some less.
I created a VIDEO with tips for solving the puzzles. Check it out on YouTube:
Click here for TIPS ON SOLVING ROLLDOKU