Killer Cages are common in variant puzzles. Although some cages have been distorted and don’t follow standard “Killer Cages” rules, most are standard.
Digits in cages do not repeat, and sum to the total in the top-left corner of the cage, if given. If not given, they just do not repeat.
There are variants like Semi-Killer cages and Gravity Cages that use cages for their own purposes, but generally, Killer Cages just have the two conditions: no repeats, sum to a total.
These cages are the color of “German Whispers” lines as a reminder that each cage functions as just such a line. Even the two-cell cages function as if they were two-cell green lines. Imagine that they’re green lines, but I’ve helpfully provided the total for all of the digits along the line.
Sometimes I think I should create a separate tag for puzzles so full of cages there’s no other constraint. Like Predator 6, and this one. If I ever do, I should update this text, since it will no longer apply. Update: It was finally time. The “Killer Cages” tag applies to all puzzles with cages, while the new “Killer Sudoku” tag now applies to puzzles with all cages.
The coloring is cosmetic, but I like to think of this grid as a rocket, heading into space. It’s a lot of cages, combining in interesting ways, and might provide a nice solving exercise for someone on a long voyage through space.
As an American, I spend far too much time thinking about urban design. This puzzle prompts thoughts of apartment buildings in Barcelona. They didn’t turn out the way Ildefons Cerda planned, but they’re certainly distinctive.
Lockout Lines can be counter-intuitive, to a point. Instead of the digits between two numbers, you want the digits not between two numbers. Normally you can work out “these are high, so those are low,” but with lockout lines, you could end up with both high and low digits together.
It’s a big one, and it’s anchored by Gravity Cages at the bottom. While these cages don’t directly affect anything else in the puzzle, I like to imagine they’ll combine to form a black hole, pulling everything in all four grids into a single cell.
Not a Sudoku-X puzzle, since only the “positive” diagonal is marked. Still, the unmarked diagonal is interesting. And not just on a global scale!
I know how I solve this puzzle, but it’s fun wondering how others will. Top to bottom? Left to Right? Odd-numbered boxes first? Alphabetically? Any order that leads to the fully-zipped puzzle is great.
Irish pub cuisine, or a Gattai-3 Sudoku puzzle? You decide!
A new variant: Autophobic digits are terrified of themselves while at home. It’s the opposite of the previous puzzle’s Autophilia.