Rules: Catloop

Draw a single closed loop through the grid by connecting the centres of cells horizontally and vertically. Numbers on the outside indicate how many cells are used by the loop in that row or column.

This puzzle is a variant on Catwalk. In this puzzle type you draw a path from the given beginning and end point instead of a loop.

Rules: Araf

Divide the grid into some regions, formed by orthogonally adjacent squares. Each region should contain exactly two given numbers. The size of each region should be a value (in unit squares) strictly between the two numbers inside that region. Its size can't be equal to either of the numbers in the region.

Rules: Shikaku

Divide the grid in a number of non-overlapping rectangles along the grid lines. Numbers in the grid indicate the size of the rectangle they are in. No rectangle can contain more than one number.

 

 

Rules: Capsules

Place the digits 1~5 once in every blackbordered region. No two equal digits can touch eachother, not even diagonally.

Rules: Japanese Sums

Place the digits 1-9 in some of the squares, so that no digit is repeated in any row or column. Sums on the outside indicate the sums of consecutive digits in that row or column. Each sum is seperated by at least one empty square.

Rules: Fillomino

Divide the grid into different regions along the gridlines. No two regions of the same size can touch eachother by a side. Numbers in the grid indicate that this cell is part of a region of that size. A region can contain more than one given number. There can be regions without any given numbers.

Rules: Star Battle

Place 2 stars in every row, column and black bordered area. The stars can't touch eachother, not even diagonally.

The example uses only 1 star.

Rules: Kakuro

Fill every cell with a digit from 1-9. Numbers above a diagonal line indicate the sum of the digits in the consecutive white cells immediately to its right. Numbers below a diagonal line indicate the sum of the digits in the consecutive white cells immediately below it. No digit can be repeated within a single sum.

Rules: Haido

Haido is a genre based on the Skyscrapers genre.

Place the digits in the given range once in every row and column. The digits represent skyscrapers of that height. The clues on the outside indicate that the building of this height is visible in that row or column from that side. Larger skyscrapers block the view of smaller ones.

The example uses the digits 1-4.

Rules: Doppelblock

This genre was developed by Naoki Inaba,

Colour 2 squares black in every row and column. Fill the remaining white squares with the digits 1~N, so that each digit appears once in every row and column. N equals the size of the grid minus 2 (e.g. for the example N = 3). The numbers on the outside indicate the sum of the digits in between the 2 black squares in that row or column.

Rules: Parquet

This genre was developed by Naoki Inaba.

Colour one of two regions in every blackbordered 2x2 area to form a single contiguous shape. This shape doesn't have any 2x2 coloured sections anywhere. Also this shape doesn't form any loops anywhere.

Rules: Magnets

The grid is divided into domino regions. Place some magnets into these regions. Each magnet consists of a + pole and a - pole. Equal poles aren't allowed to touch by a side. The numbers on the outside indicate how many of each symbol are located in that row or column.

Puzzle #117: Masyu; In and Out

There's been a few Masyu variants done with optional Black and White circles. Here's another one, with a extra twist. The twist is taken from the Castle Wall genre. I think the puzzle worked out nicely. The optional quality makes the puzzle a bit trickier. Maybe the next time I'd make the puzzle a bit bigger, to make the twist play out more.
I know I've been making more variants the last few weeks. That's why I've added an extra tag for all puzzle variants and hybrids to find them easier on the blog. I've left the variant tag off the Sudokus as every Sudoku is a Sudoku variant. If people think I should also add it to them, I will.

Rules for Masyu

Follow normal Masyu rules. Additionally, not every black and white circle has to be visited by the loop. If a black circle isn't visited, it will be located outside the loop. If a white circle isn't visited, it will be located inside the loop.

Rules: Masyu

This genre was developed by Nikoli.

Draw a single closed loop connecting the centres of cells horizontally and vertically. The loop
doesn't touch or cross itself anywhere. The loop runs through all black and white circles. The loop
turns in every black circle and goes straight through both adjacent squares. The loop goes straight
through every white circle and turns in at least one of both adjacent squares.

Rules: Regional Akari

This genre was developed by Naoki Inaba.

Place one lightbulb in each blackbordered region, so that every cell in the grid is illuminated by at least one lightbulb. Lightbulbs illuminate all cells they can see in a horizontal and vertical direction. Black cells block their sight. No two lightbulbs can illuminate eachother.

Rules: Easy as Japanese Sums

This genre was invented by Naoki Inaba

Place the digits in the given range once in every row and column. The numbers on the outside indicate the sum of the first digits seen from that side till encountering an empty square.
The example uses the digits 1-3.

Rules: Camping

Place a number of tents, trees and caravans in the grid. Each tree has a tent and a caravan orthogonally connected to it. No two equal symbols can touch eachother, not even diagonally. The numbers on the outside indicate how many of each symbol are in that row or column.

Rules: Blind Spot

This genre was developed by Naoki Inaba

Place an arrow for all four directions (up, down, left right) once in every row and column. No arrow points at another arrow. Black walls block the view of an arrow.

Rules: Regional Yajilin

This genre was developed by Naoki Inaba.

Colour some squares, so that a single closed loop can be drawn through all remaining cells. The loop run horizontally and vertically through the centers of the cells. It can't touch or cross itself. No two black cells can share a border. The grid is split up into different regions. A number in a region indicates the amount of cells that need to be coloured in it.

Rules: LITS

This genre was developed by Nikoli.

Colour a shape of 4 orthogonally connected squares in each black bordered region so that all coloured squares form a single contiguous area. This area can't contain any 2x2 coloured squares. Two identical shapes in different regions can't touch eachother by a side. Rotations and reflections are considered the same shape.