Ripple Effect

Place digits into irregular cages so each cage contains 1..n exactly once, and matching digits stay outside each other’s ripple distance.

How to Play

Each outlined cage must contain the digits 1..n exactly once, where n is that cage's size. Matching digits also create a "ripple" that blocks the next n-1 cells in the same row and column from containing the same value.

Given cells are fixed. The puzzle is solved when every cell is filled and both the cage and ripple rules are satisfied.

Controls

Key	Action
Arrow keys / WASD / hjkl	Move cursor
1-9	Place number
Backspace / Delete	Clear cell
Ctrl+R	Reset puzzle
Ctrl+H	Toggle full help
Escape	Return to main menu

Modes

Mode	Size	Notes
Mini 5x5	5x5	Compact cages with extra anchors
Easy 6x6	6x6	Steady clues and approachable spacing
Medium 7x7	7x7	Mixed cage shapes with sparser anchors
Hard 8x8	8x8	Longer cages with sparse anchors and wider scans
Expert 9x9	9x9	Winding large cages with global ripple deductions

Elo Difficulty

Named modes are compatibility presets. Use --difficulty <0..3000> to target a specific Elo difficulty for generated puzzles.

Quick Start

puzzletea new ripple-effect
puzzletea new ripple "Medium 7x7"
puzzletea new ripple-effect "Hard 8x8" --with-seed sample-seed