Cave (Hex) by Joseph Howard
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode and the linex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)
Theme: All Threes
Author/Opus: This is the 27th puzzle from guest contributor Joseph Howard.
Rules: Standard Cave rules. (The puzzle is on a hexagonal grid and cells now see in a maximum of six possible directions.)
Difficulty: 2.5 stars
Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:15, Master = 3:15, Expert = 6:30
Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.
Note: Follow this link for classic Caves and this link for Cave variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Cave Puzzles to get started on. More Cave puzzles can be found in Roger Barkan’s Colossal Cave Collection, in The Art of Puzzles, and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.
The hexagonal grid changed this one a lot more than I thought it would, especially with all of the threes. Interesting puzzle.
Bit difficult to adjust to hexagonal grids after having accustomed to square grids … but I guess that’s part of the fun 🙂 once I got the hang of the grid it was smooth flow 🙂