How to play
Hidato is a number-path puzzle. Every open circle on the grid must hold one number, and together they form an unbroken chain from 1 up to the highest number. Each number has to touch the next one: to the left or right, above or below, or on any of the four diagonals. Think of a chess king walking across the board, stepping once per number, never landing on the same cell twice.
The status line tells you the target, for example “Place 1 to 33 so each number touches the next, even diagonally.”
What you start with. The first number (1) and the last number are always printed on the grid, along with a scattering of others in between. A few cells have no circle at all: these are holes in the board, and the chain simply goes around them.
Entering numbers.
- Tap an empty circle to select it, then tap a number or type it on the keyboard.
- For a two-digit number, enter both digits one after the other. While you’re entering, the status line shows “Typing …” so you can see what has been read.
- Erase clears the selected cell. Undo takes back your last change.
- Hint puts the correct number into one cell. If you’ve made a mistake somewhere, it fixes that cell first.
As you play, a number turns red when it breaks a visible rule: it appears twice, or it sits away from a neighbour in the chain that’s already on the board. Red means there’s a conflict, not necessarily which of the two numbers is wrong.
When the last gap is filled correctly, the puzzle is solved and the full path from 1 to the end is drawn across the grid. Your time and the number of hints you used are shown with the result.
The three sizes
| Level | Grid | Holes | Numbers given |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | 6 × 6 | up to 3 | about 40% |
| Medium | 7 × 7 | up to 5 | about a third |
| Hard | 8 × 8 | up to 6 | about 30% |
Every puzzle is made fresh. The generator first walks a random path through every open cell, then removes printed numbers one by one, keeping a removal only if the puzzle still has exactly one solution. So you never have to guess between two valid answers. On a larger grid with fewer clues, the gaps between printed numbers get long, and that’s where the difficulty comes from.
Strategy
Fill the one-step gaps first. If 14 and 16 are printed, 15 must be in a cell that touches both. Often only one cell qualifies, and these quick wins open up the board.
Measure gaps in king steps. Count how many numbers are missing between two clues and compare it with the distance between them. From 20 to 25 there are four missing numbers, so the path takes five steps. If the two clues are exactly five king-moves apart, the path has almost no freedom and must head straight toward the target.
Look for cramped cells. A circle in a corner, or one hemmed in by holes, has only two or three neighbours. Few numbers can reach it, so it’s often decided early. The ends of the chain behave the same way: the cells next to 1 and to the final number are good starting points.
Watch for dead ends. Every open circle must be used. If a placement would cut off a pocket of cells that no remaining stretch of the chain can reach, it’s wrong. Before committing to a long route, ask what happens to the cells it leaves behind.
Work from both sides. A long gap is easier from both ends. Place a number or two going up from the lower clue and a number or two going down from the upper one, and the middle usually becomes obvious.
Treat red as a signal, not a verdict. Red only shows conflicts with what’s on the board. A number can be black and still wrong if nothing nearby contradicts it yet.
For a different kind of logic grid, Kakuro is all about sums, and Peg Solitaire is another puzzle where one wrong move early can strand pieces late.
If you enjoy Hidato, try Island Sea or Kakuro next.
