Hitori Shade: play hitori online free
Hitori Shade is a number puzzle. A grid of digits has some numbers showing up more than once in a row or column, and your job is to shade the extras until each number is there only once.
Two more rules keep it fair. Shaded squares never touch side by side, and the white squares left over must stay joined in one piece. Every board has exactly one answer, and there is no game over, so you can take your time.
Also called: hitori online, play hitori free, shade the squares puzzle, number shading puzzle, hitori
How to play
- Open the game and pick Gentle, Easy, Medium, Hard or Expert. The boards run from 5 by 5 up to 9 by 9.
- Look for numbers that repeat in a row or a column. Shade squares until no number repeats in any row or column.
- Tap a square once to shade it. Tap again to keep it white, which adds a blue ring. A third tap clears it.
- Shaded squares never touch side by side, and all the white squares must stay joined in one piece. A square that breaks a rule turns red.
- Drag across squares to keep many at once, and Undo takes the whole drag back. Hint fixes a wrong mark first, and Clear starts the board over.
- Get every row and column right to win. Your game saves as you go. On a keyboard, use the arrows, Space to change a square, S to shade, O to keep, U to undo and H for a hint.
Tips
- Look for a sandwich. When the same number sits on both sides of another square, like 3 5 3, the middle square has to stay white.
- Once you shade a square, mark its four neighbors to keep. Shaded squares can never touch, so those neighbors stay white.
- Watch the white squares. If shading a square would cut a corner off from the rest, that square has to stay white.
Questions
Is Hitori free, and do I need to download anything?
Yes, it is free. Hitori Shade plays right in your web browser with no download, no sign-up and no ads on the site. Just open the page and start.
Can I play on my phone or tablet?
Yes. Tap a square to shade it, tap again to keep it, or drag across squares to keep many at once. On a computer, use the mouse, or the arrow keys with Space.
Can I lose or get stuck?
No. Hitori has no game over. A square that breaks a rule turns red so you can see it, and Undo takes it back.
Do I have to guess?
No. Every board has exactly one answer, and you can find it by thinking. Hard and Expert may ask you to try one square and see what breaks, but never a blind guess.
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