Killer Sudoku by Sudoku.com Reviews

by Rich B - Austin, TX

However the last update seemed to add some problems! First, they found a way to force you to watch even MORE ads be adding them into the middle of each game. You complete some numbers and are forced to watch an ad. Frustrating! And not sure if watching the ad adds to the time it tracks to solve the puzzle. Second, and a more serious issue, playing this game causes some serious drain on my phone battery and processing. My phone sometimes s l o w s down noticeably and the battery will heat up - so there is some serious processing going on in the background that is causing this! And I’ve tried ONLY having KillerSudoku open, nothing else, and still have this issue, so it is definitely this game that causes it. It is so bad that on 3 recent occasions my phone has just locked up and I had to shut it down and reboot. One of those times I had to Google how to force a reboot because it would not shut down! I’ll move on to another killer sudoku app until maybe this issue is fixed in an update. Until then, downloaders beware!

by Ohflattery

I love KillerSudoku, it’s by far my favorite interface for killer sudoku games, but it keeps showing me really offensive weight loss ads in the middle of my game and often does not give me an option to close them or mark them as something I don’t want to see. I’m taking like close up video of someone’s belly jiggling and gigantic letters calling the person fat. They haven’t always shown these types of ads, but now that they do I have been playing the game much less just to avoid them. It’s frustrating that the only way they allow me to not look at these really offensive, hurtful ads is to pay them to go ad free. Im happy to watch ads, but I shouldn’t have to pay you to not be exposed to awful content. Far from the relaxing sudoku experience I usually am looking for!

You all should be more selective about the kind of content you’re willing to make money from, other major corporations like meta have banned these types of advertisements because of the negative impact they have on women and teens.

by Jpmcftghbmo

Below is a review I wrote a couple of weeks ago. After seeing developer comments about removing the mid-game ads, I stuck with it a while longer. They haven’t kept that promise, so I’m done. There are plenty of other Killer Sudoku apps, and I’m switching to a new one.

This has been one of my daily go-to games for some time. As a game it probably deserves four stars - it generally plays well, but the keyboard interface for numbers, notes, and hints is clumsy and I, at least, wind up taking hints when I’m trying to do notes and so on. It’s a relatively minor irritation but enough to cost a star. Recently, though, they’ve added ads in the middle of a game. For a timed game with the level of concentration demanded by killer sudoku, this is completely unacceptable, and it’s not like there aren’t other killer sudoku apps out there. That immediately takes KillerSudoku down to one star. If they want to run an ad before the game that’s one thing, and all part of the story. If this practice of running ads during the game persists much longer, I’ll be finding a new app for this.

by Loyal Peach Fan

I’d like to start off by saying I really love KillerSudoku; I downloaded it after normal sudoku got too easy for me, and it’s been a fun way to challenge myself. However, a few weeks ago my phone started freezing while I was in KillerSudoku , forcing me to restart it. It was a relative rare occurrence, at first, so I kept playing (there’s not much else for me to do right now in quarantine), but it’s grown more and more frequent until just now, when it crashed twice in ten minutes and the second time almost bricked my phone. (My phone made noises when I tried to restart it. It’s never done that before.) I’m deleting KillerSudoku for now for the health of my phone, but I’d like to please beg the developers to fix whatever this is. I don’t know what causes it, as the crashes appear to be completely random. I have an iPhone XR, and both my phone software and KillerSudoku are updated to the most recent update. I’d be more than happy to change my review once this issue is fixed, but for now I’d advise people to be wary downloading KillerSudoku.

by ReeseMalmgren

The game is fun, but let’s be honest, there are a ton of sudoku apps out there. Also, I don’t mind ads, but they should only play between games. With KillerSudoku, your game is interrupted several times for ads. Not worth it.

Update: after I posted this review, clearly stating my issue was with many mid-game ads, not once saying I want all ads removed. I got the following snarky response. Seriously, there are tons of sudoku apps. I found one I like just as well in about a minute, then deleted this one. Multiple mid-game ads and seriously terrible attitude makes KillerSudoku not worth your time.

Hi! It's a pity to hear about your unpleasant experience with ads. Unfortunately, we cannot remove all ads. We need ads to support KillerSudoku and make it available to everyone for free. We hope you can understand that. If you wish to stop all ads, you can do that for a small one-time fee in Settings. You'll never face any ads afterward.

by Amarie2ose

This has by far been my favorite game to play for a while. While the game has always had adds they were typically before/after a game and offered as an option to get hints and 2nd chances. But as of today I’ve been getting multiple adds during a game which is extremely frustrating. It’s distracting and often confusing to remember where I left off before the pop up. Even though the adds are short it’s still enough to throw me off. I completely understand adds are needed to keep the game free but this has become excessive and it’s really unnecessary. Having the adds in the middle of a game completely ruins the user experience. It’s one thing to have a couple pop up but it’s almost every minute for me. I hope the developers will revert back to the original adds before and after games, otherwise I will have to say goodbye to KillerSudoku. Even though I do enjoy it the games today have been frustrating.

by Squirrels & Bacon

The game is fun until you get good at it, and then almost ALL of the daily challenges become “Hard” or “Expert”, with over half being Expert. These games start with NO numbers so you are forced to watch ads to get Hints (numbers) to put in the puzzle. Otherwise, the daily game is impossible. Here’s a novel idea - how about keeping the same or SLIGHTLY modified diversity of game difficulties in all months? My response to all the Expert games is to just not do them. I refuse to watch 10-20 ads just to finish one game. And that means less activity and less ads that I view. So it actually does the opposite of the intended result - I view less ads so the game gets less revenue. Change the daily games back to varied difficulty and I’ll play more, see more of the usual ads, and give a higher rating; until then, I’m playing less and the rating remains at one star. Thanks for listening.
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UPDATE: The developer responded very quickly and explained the daily challenge randomization. I appreciate their reply and suggestions. Therefore, I have changed my rating to 4 stars. Still need to try their suggestions!

by Mick31313

I’ve enjoyed this game for quite awhile. However, they’ve recently introduced a new ad plan that just infuriates me. Historically, there’d be an ad between games and when you start. In the last few days, ads are showing up in the middle of playing a game. And, they’re lengthy. I believe that it is timed. So, I’m out. I’m deleting this game. What a shame. I really enjoyed it. But, I wouldn’t recommend unless you’ve got the patience to have ads interrupting; and breaking your train of thought; and wasting your time. I completely understand why we have ads. This is just over the top! Good luck!

I give the developers credit….they promptly responded to my issue and indicated their intention to correct. Everyone makes mistakes and I rushed to judgement. So, I retract my prior comments and await the changes that they are working on. Thanks for following up.

by Gibby6953

I love killer sudoku in general. KillerSudoku is incredibly user friendly and easy to use. I would give it a resounding 5 stars, except the difficulty levels are so off. I’ve yet to do easy or medium. The hard difficulty is fairly easy. Plenty of numbers are already given to you, and it’s usually solvable for me within 5 minutes. I’d love to go up in difficulty, but expert is almost impossible. No numbers are ever given to start out, and the cluster of boxes usually have way too many possible scenarios to narrow down to the correct answer. I usually spend 30-40 minutes on one puzzle before realizing that without many hints or guess and check work, it’s not solvable. I’m not suggesting they make Expert easier, because there’s better puzzle solvers than me. But, the Hard difficulty should be more of a challenge

by Fluffy Auntie

I’m really enjoying this game. It is somewhat harder than sudoku, and I love that the math makes me exercise a different part of my brain. However, there is one change that needs to be made ASAP! I’m using an iPad, and when I touch the screen in the wrong place, it overwrites the correct number (that I’ve already entered) with whatever random number I accidentally selected. A “note” can even supersede the correct number. Once you’ve entered the correct number, that cell should be locked- there’s no reason you’d change it. Please!!! I’ve lost so many games in this way, and it is extremely frustrating. One other idea is that the screen could change colors (or something) when you go in and out of note mode. It’s too easy to lose track of which mode you’re in, and I’ve lost a lot of games due to this issue as well.

by Appluque

I’ve been playing this game for a long time and think it’s the best Sudoku out there. However, within about the last month, all of a sudden right in the middle of a game a long ad comes on and it changes the orientation of my screen, I can’t X out of it, and then it takes a while for my iPad to switch back to the game. This happens several times within the same game. I log out and come back later but it still has the ad on it. Very frustrating. It used to just do ads at the end of a game. Hope this can get fixed; I don’t have the patience to sit through these ads. Otherwise, I would give this game 5 stars.

P.S. I also like the challenges that come up now and then; it’s nice to play some easier ones as I usually do the hard/expert ones.

by Skinnybaker

First, let me say that I can do math but do not enjoy it. I can do Sudoku because it is really a logic puzzle and not really math. I read the description of Killer Sudoku, where it says that this is much harder than regular sudoku, and almost did not download it because of that. But it said there were levels that anyone could play, so I decided to give it a shot.

Well. This is actually far, far easier than regular sudoku. The “extra” regions give clues and allow you to determine the correct numbers which belong in several of the boxes, before you even start “doing sudoku”. I have no idea why the developers would label this “Killer”, as it actually makes the game far easier to finish.

That said, I do like this; it is nice to have something a bit different. But I will also not be deleting my traditional sudoku app. There are times when I am in the mood for more of a challenge.

by JFUDHIDHjehxj

Title says it. Hard levels take between 5 and 10 minutes and I have never once gotten stuck, just fly through them once I’m writing down notes. Expert levels I get stuck on and can’t make a move after investing close to 20 minutes and filling in all available notes. Hints are useless. I’m not trying to instantly solve the level, I’m trying to get better at the puzzles. The regular sudoku app hints are much better, because the hints actually tell you what you should look at and what the next move should be. Expert levels are now just a waste of 20 minutes and completely unsolvable to the average person. Maybe add a harder expert mode and split current expert levels? Maybe add useful hints? Maybe add a help section with tips for really hard levels??

by Debbers12

I am not a negative reviewer, until now. But you have ruined one of my most enjoyable games.
I have been playing this game for quite a while now. Rarely do I find a game that’s really relaxing and fun. Paid games are usually the games I enjoy the most but occasionally, like Killer Sudoku, I find a winner. Yes there are ads but they’re short and I understand that while you are waiting for the game to be successful enough, yes you need income.
I would buy a version of this game if it became available, and I plead with you to make that available BECAUSE NOW ADS RUN IN THE MIDDLE OF GAMEPLAY. Who is okay with that?
I still open it, out of habit, but soon quit because there is no possible way to enjoy it now. MAYBE if it had started out with this new version and then changed to having the short ads after playing it would be better but it now feels like the game is regressing instead of progressing.

by Zach869

First off, I love this game. I started playing it about a year ago and have drastically improved my sudoku skills since then. I just have a couple suggestions to improve the experience:

1. Sometimes KillerSudoku glitches and the timer doesn’t start when the puzzle opens, and it’s not something you realize until midway through the game. I’ve had it happen a few times to me and I’ve accidentally finished a game which screwed up my stats and set a false “best time.” As a side note, the timer usually starts after the first ad. Please either fix this issue or allow us to edit, or somehow rebuttal, the puzzle completion time.

2. I would love if y’all added an “Insights” feature. I love seeing how I stacked up against other people that played that puzzle as it gives me a better sense of my own progression. Some other Sudoku apps use a cool insight tool, and I know sometimes after I complete a puzzle it will show me “you were faster than ‘x’% of players,” but I would like to be able to see that for all puzzles. I don’t even mind watching an ad to see the insights. If y’all have the data for it, I would also love to see the average completion time on top of any other stats you think would be fun to see.

I hope you have time to consider my suggestions! Again, I love KillerSudoku and appreciate the challenge it provides.

by Multitasker Mom

Interface is easy to use. Preset numbers are black and numbers you pencil in are dark blue. Not enough contrast to easily discern which are pre-existing and which you wrote in. I tried to see if there was a way to change the font color... not there. Also magnifying glass doesn’t help me see the number total in the corner of the cages. It’s super super small. I’ve also mistaken some cage groups when they extend over to another 3x3. It would be helpful if the dotted line was in red or another contrasting color.
Also when I initially started playing, I accidentally hit a wrong number- one that was not my intended target. Wasted an error bc of mistyping. There should be some way for it not to count if it is corrected immediately. I ended up turning off the error count in settings.
Fix these and the game would be perfect.
Disclaimer- This is my first killer sudoku. I do enjoy it. I’m not sure if others address the above issues or if they’re all the same.

by Cici Js

I loved this game — until today. Since this is a free game, I expect and accept ads. However, it’s escalating way beyond okay. At first the ads were between every two or three games, then after every game. Recently there has been a mid-game ad in every game, plus at the end of each. Today there has been two and three mid-game ads and the between game ads. The ads are around every two minutes, but often less. It throws off the pace of the game in several ways. I’ll be adding up a larger block to decide what I need to put in, but after the ad, I have to recount. Since I don’t always come back in the same square I thought I was in, I have to be sure not to type the number I had been typing because I’ll get an error and have to watch another ad to “buy” another chance. Instead of being relaxing and/or challenging, today was frustrating and irritating. I finally quit and won’t try again today. If this greed fest continues, I’ll be looking for a new game (and NOT your regular Sudoku — it “caught” the same disease today)

by Eagle235

If you are a regular player of sudoku and have never played this version before, start out with medium.. then work up to hard. That one is challenging but keeps your brain active. Using a combination of regular sudoku rationalizations, and the new ones you learn in this version you can solve all of the hard. The boards are well done, easy access to hard choices and for notes. I love how it eliminates numbers that are completed, and highlights choices. The software also keeps track of your records, losses and wins, how long it takes, scores, and such. The background of the game is simple...the developers could add a color back ground, art, to add more value. If you want to move to expert level, be sure you Google this type of Sudoku and learn how to use the 45 methods. That’s challenging! Great job.

by Mz. Oranj

So I have always been fascinated by this game, but I don’t typically have whatever skills or gene required to do very well trying to fill in these puzzles. I can see the patterns, but I kept bombing even the “easy” puzzles. Those little boxes in the big boxes on this killer sudoku that let me know what the numbers each add up to are a lifesaver!!! Finally a way for me to have more confidence and certainty that I’m not just pulling a number out of thin air (and then getting it wrong). I’ve played more of this successfully than any other and am even willing (and have successfully) played some higher levels that I would never try with the traditional sudoku that I’ve seen. Yes. Love it. Only had it for a few days so far and I’ve played like 10 games I believe. Thank you

by Hetkeyup

This game makes me feel so rewarded & smart! I have gotten down from 1:30 to twenty minutes sometimes for the expert levels as a develop more techniques. I like how it uses both math and logic. I keep myself to the three mistake limit and only use the one free hint if I am really stuck. Each box, row, and column add up to 45 and sometimes I rack my brain by using a 90 group to solve for one number. It feels so good to solve that I just keep opening another and another. Thanks for all the different settings (night mode black background, highlighting).
One suggestion I would love is to be able to make some notated numbers a different color or italics, which I would use for “all of the possible options” verses numbers that *must fit “either here or there.”