Capsule Review: Hexcells Plus
The second of three games using a puzzle system somewhere between Minesweeper and Picross. Puzzles are presented on a hex grid with numeric clues that allow the player to deduce which cells must be colored in and which must be blanked out. The clues are a mix of Picross-like ones giving information about the cells in a row or column and Minesweeper-like ones giving information about the cells near another cell, but in both cases there’s some extra variation and complexity mixed in.
Definitely play the original first, as this one picks up in difficulty where that one left off, quickly introducing all the mechanics from its predecessor and then adding more of its own. The interface and gameplay are identical, down to the unfortunate “mistakes” system and lack of quick save, but the puzzles are still well-crafted and satisfying to solve. This one has thirty-six puzzles and will probably take most people a handful of hours to clear. Again, it’s enjoyable deductive gameplay not quite like anything else.
Updated August 20, 2020: While I haven’t tried it myself, a new patch apparently adds the ability to save and return to partially-completed puzzles. Hurray!
I Stopped Playing When: I finished the game by solving all puzzles.
Three Stars: Good. I liked the game enough to finish it (or just play it a bunch, for games that don't end). I recommend it to most genre fans.