Hexakai

Introduction

Rules of the Game

App Features

• Daily puzzles: enjoy a new puzzle every day. Each daily puzzle is uniquely created across a range of board sizes and difficulties.
• Solving the board: click on empty hexagons and select the value you would like to assign to them. When you're ready to submit your answer, click the submit button. If you've solved it, the board will turn green. If not, the cells you've filled out will flash red. To restart, click the reset button.
• Navigating the board: if the game is larger than your display, parts of it will remain hidden. Drag the board around with your mouse or finger to focus on the part of the game you need to focus on. Click the zoom buttons to zoom in or out.
• Taking notes: Use the game's built-in pencil-marking and color-coding features to keep track of cell possibilities and tentative assignments. To use this feature, right click or long press a cell to apply pencil markings and colors. Or, if you're using the unified menu (found under settings), all controls will appear on the same input panel.
• Creating your own game: you can create your own games of various board sizes and difficulties. To do so, click the new game button and select the kind of game you'd like. Note that larger games and higher difficulties take longer to generate.
• Making mistakes: use the game's undo and redo buttons in case you've made a move you'd like to take back. You can use it for setting values and setting colors, but not if you reset the game or start a new game.
• Saving your game for later: your game is saved to your device automatically. The next time you visit, your game will be waiting for you just as you left it.
• Themes and settings: the app comes with a handful of color themes. To change the theme or other settings, click the button at the top right of the page. You can also toggle sounds.
• Getting achievements: get the recognition you deserve by winning achievements when you complete games!

Difficulty Levels

• Easy: In easy mode, most cells on the board are already filled in, giving you plenty of information to work with. You can often solve empty cells through simple elimination — looking at which values are already present in each row and diagonal. Easy mode is perfect for learning the rules, getting comfortable with the hexagonal layout, and building confidence with larger board sizes or for preparing to move to a higher difficulty.
• Medium: Medium mode offers a balanced challenge with a comfortable mix of filled and empty cells. You'll need to think a bit more carefully, but solutions remain approachable through straightforward logical deduction. This is a great stepping stone that lets you enjoy the puzzle without feeling overwhelmed — enough mystery to engage your mind, enough clues to keep you moving forward.
• Difficult: Difficult mode presents a genuine challenge where simple elimination won't be enough. You'll need to think strategically about which rows and diagonals to tackle first, and you'll need to use some of the intermediate and advanced strategies to think more deeply about how cells on different parts of the board relate to eachother. Some cells will require you to consider multiple possibilities before making a confident placement. This mode rewards patience and careful analysis.
• Ultra-Difficult: Ultra-difficult mode pushes Hexakai to its limits, presenting puzzles where only a handful of cells are revealed. Success requires mastering advanced solving strategies and knowing which strategies to apply based on the particular challenge you're confronted with. Often, you'll need to carefully work through chains of logical deductions just to assign the value of a single cell. This mode is designed for puzzle enthusiasts who crave a serious mental workout.

The board size significantly contributes to the overall difficulty of the game, as well as the time it takes to complete it. For example, a board of size 16 on easy mode will be much more difficult than a board of size 5 on difficult mode, and will take much longer to complete. A board of size 10 on ultra difficult gives a nice balance between board size and difficulty level, resulting in a challenging but manageable board that can be completed in one session. A board of size 14 or higher on ultra difficult mode will take significantly longer to complete and require much more strategic thinking and patience.

Strategies

The strategies page introduces a collection of strategies I've personally developed while creating and playing Hexakai myself, covering a range of strategies from beginner to advanced that can be applied to boards of all sizes and difficulty levels.