Help and Hints
Learning to play isn’t part of the puzzle! Here are some resources to help you figure things out.
New to variant sudoku?
Classic sudoku gets tricky enough with fewer given digits. The myriad rules and variations in Sudokuvania can be very intimidating! Check out sudoku.coach for an introduction to several variants and a plethora of easy puzzles to sharpen your wit against.
FAQs, clarifications, and hints
Additional questions and hints will continuously be added to this page as needed.
Last updated July 26, 2026
SudokuPad FAQs
Note: SudokuPad was not designed for large puzzles like Sudokuvania. I (Skeptical Mario) am not associated with the developer of SudokuPad.
What browsers support SudokuPad?
SudokuPad runs fine on Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
How do I zoom and pan?
First, go into the Settings menu and ensure that Experimental -> Test Large Puzzle UI is turned ON. (or your puzzle URL contains ‘setting-largepuzzle=1’).
To zoom in or out, use the mouse scroll wheel, or slide two fingers up/down on your Trackpad.
To pan while zoomed in, right click and drag the mouse.
Why is mobile not supported?
SudokuPad was not designed for very large puzzles, and the current zoom controls are a stopgap feature. It is not possible to zoom and pan on a mobile OS, nor is it possible to fully use the Pen Tool without an attached keyboard. For these reasons, it is strongly recommended only to try Sudokuvania on a desktop browser.
Can I save my progress?
Your actions and puzzle state are automatically saved in local storage. Clearing your cache will delete all of your progress!
Sudokuvania general FAQs
How do I progress without clicking on the fog?
You must click on the fog to progress. Selecting fogged cells may display unlearned rules, so for the best story experience, try not to read those. But you will often select a cell in the fog to enter a digit there.
Why isn’t there any fog in the puzzle?
There is a known issue in SudokuPad where some browsers’ Dark Mode circumvents the fog layer, revealing everything. Turn the browser to Light Mode and try again.
Why didn’t entering correct digits clear fog?
In Digits of Despair is cleared only by filling certain cells in order to keep certain clues hidden. You can check your progress with the Check button, and in the end, all fog will be cleared.
In Lineage of Logic, entering the correct digit in any cell will clear from that cell.
Why do rules refer sometimes to digits and other times to values?
The player can place digits into cells, but the value of the cell is not necessarily the same as the digit placed into it. Some grids or linked puzzles specify how values can differ from the digits placed, and most clues care about the value rather than the digit.
Why aren’t the rules more precise?
To save space, a shortened version of each rule is displayed in the Learned Rules portion of the Journal. Selecting a rule in that panel will add detailed rules language to the SudokuPad Rules panel.
Digits of Despair
What is the current version?
The most recent version of Sudokuvania: Digits of Despair is v1.1.1. The last update was in May 2025.
Is Digits Without Despair ever coming out?
I’m sorry, but I have no plans to continue development of this easier version of Digits of Despair. For an easier sudoku/metroidvania hybrid, try Super Sudokoid: Final Transmission by The M!
How do I find the secret ending?
I will not give any additional clues to the secret ending beyond what is in the puzzle.
On codex cells
Codex cells are column indexers – whatever column number the cell is in, its value indexes (points to) the column where the digit matching that column number is located. For example, if a codex cell in column 5 has the digit 3, then the digit 5 is in column 3 [in that row].
Boss 1
Why is this puzzle so hard right to start off?
In retrospect, I should have made the first boss easier. Keep in mind that digits cannot repeat on a thermometer, and ask questions like “where can the digit in r3c2 go in box 4?”
Boss 9
How do tenlines work?
Each line is broken up into segments which each sum to 10. Each cell is part of only one segment and the segments do not overlap. Digits can repeat on a segment.
What counts as entering a cell for the digit sharing rule?
Any clue even partially in a cell gets a piece of the digit. So yes, the eight green tenlines all enter r5c5 and divide that cell’s value by 8.
Lineage of Logic
What is the current version?
Lineage of Logic has just been published, it is version v1.0!
Why didn’t entering correct digits clear fog?
In Digits of Despair is cleared only by filling certain cells in order to keep certain clues hidden. You can check your progress with the Check button, and in the end, all fog will be cleared.
In Lineage of Logic, entering the correct digit in any cell will clear from that cell.
How do I use the coins?
You can use coins once you have unlocked the shop, which is possible after completing one of the quest lines.
I don’t see coin icons?
Some browsers render the coin icons as white squares. I believe this is the only gameplay icon so affected. Try turning the SudokuPad setting Disable Emoji Replacement -> OFF to see standardized versions of the icons.
What is the silhouette icon under Grid Progress? That wasn’t in the tutorial.
The silhouette icon means you have rescued all of the villagers from the grid. This corresponds to story events, or to cells in cages marked with the icon in later grids.
Is there a secret ending?
There is not yet a secret ending. I hope to add a final story arc in a future update.
Can quest lines cut corners of grids, or does that count as exiting the grid?
Quest lines can clip a corner between two grids as long as each cell they enter is in a grid.
On the Explore the Castle quest
If the line enters and leaves a box twice, is that the same segment?
No, the line is divided by region and grid borders so that any continuous segment has the same sum.
What if grids overlap?
Each grid’s region contains a segment of the line, with the common cells belonging to both.
On the Kitchens rule
How do hot cells work?
Every cell in the Kitchens has a value 1 greater than its digit. This matters, for instance, on the Cipher quest line which only allows a certain range of values. It wouldn’t affect a pair of consecutive digits since their difference is the same either way, unless only one of those digits were in the Kitchens.
On the Tunnels
How do I know where the boxes of this grid are?
Finding the boxes is part of solving, but the grid glyph (background image seen in each grid) appears in each box of the Tunnels. That should indicate the extent of a box once you find it.
On the Sewers
I don’t see region borders upon entering the Sewers?
The irregular regions of the Sewers are revealed in whole one at a time as you enter them. I realize this is unapparent when you first find the grid.
On the Ballroom rule
Does the anti-XV rule apply if one cell is in the Ballroom and the other is outside?
No, the rule applies to pairs of cells where both are in the Ballroom.
On gargoyle hints
Do these clues refer to the digit in the nearest cell, or its value?
Like most clues, the value in the cells are what is counted, not simply the digit.
How do I use the gargoyles with no numbers surrounding the Sewers?
If the icon is outside of grids and there is no number, it is not a clue. Those gargoyles are just hanging out.
On the Royal Quarters rule
Does the anti-king rule apply if one cell is in the Royal Quarters and the other is outside?
No, the rule applies to pairs of cells where both are in the Royal Quarters.
On the Observatory puzzle
How do I place the code between the battery cells in row 2?
You don’t; the clues on the scraps refer to placing digits on the line in box 5. The battery digits go on those cells in row 2 similar to the power cells in Dungeons, but the calibration code goes into box 5.
On blink cells
First identify whether the blink cell is indexing the row number (horizontal lines) or the column number (vertical lines). The arrows point towards the nearest cell with a value equaling that number in any cardinal direction. For example, if the arrows point left to the nearest 6 which is three cells away, there will not be another 6 fewer than four cells away in an up, down, or right direction.
Observatory boss
Are the stars seen outside the grid through the telescope important?
No, the zoomed-out telescope view is for flair. Everything outside the 9×9 grid can be ignored.
But I don’t understand the rules.
An example puzzle is linked from the third scrap found in the Observatory. For further details:
* Each cell with one or more stars on it is part of exactly one ‘galaxy’.
* Each star cell with the same digit is in the same galaxy.
* A digit X appears on a total of X stars, which may be fewer than X cells because some cells have more than one star. For example, the 4 galaxy could contain a cell with three stars and a cell with one star (both having the digit 4).
* Regardless, each galaxy must be a contiguous group of digits with a defined center such that it could be rotated 180 degrees about the center and have the same shape.
* Not all cells are part of a galaxy.
Laboratory boss
🚨KNOWN ISSUE 🚨
The rules incorrectly state that the grappling hook clues look for digits. The clues look for the value in the cell next to the arrow tail, and place that value in a cell specified by the value in the arrow tip.
Where is the given copycat cell?
It is marked with a ♊︎ in row 2 column 4.
Good ending boss, phase 1
How do I know what digits the donut clue is looking for?
Finding the donut is part of the puzzle. Look everywhere and everywhen.