Hexcells uses similar logical reasoning skills to Minesweeper, but without the timed aspect. Great puzzle game but way too short.

Really enjoyable casual puzzle game; challenging without being frustrating, although seasoned puzzle enthusiasts might consider it to be a bit too easy. Common complaint is that it is short, but for the price I still see this as a good value title. There are around 30 logic puzzles, still offering several hours of challenges to exercise your mind. Concept is most like the classic Minesweeper that was included with Windows OS back in the day. You need to use logic to determine if there is a 'number' or 'vacant' hex in the adjacent cell from the already revealed hexes.

The simple designs, grows in complexity as you progress through larger levels with new rules being added & for the purists there is also the challenge of completing each puzzle without any mistakes. Graphics are bright yet clean & basic, but suitable to the game. Sounds are relaxing & controls are easy (just left & right mouse buttons).

Other than the exceptional LYNE, this is one of the best puzzlers I have played in recent years & look forward to trying out the sequels (which I am told are a much harder challenge too!).

Hexcells is the illegitimate love child of Minesweeper and Picross. Using a series of number clues, you must logically remove and mark hexagons in order to fill out the pattern hidden underneath. If you've played either of the two before mentioned games this will be entirely intuitive, with numbers within a hexagon corresponding to the number of blue tiles (ie. mines) surrounding said hexagon, and the numbers on top of a column signally the number of blue tiles within it (with a few special signals providing additional info).

What Hexcells adds over vanilla Minesweeper is the more puzzle oriented design of its levels, each being individually designed to test your skills of deduction with cleverly disguised patterns that are often far more obvious than they first appear. Solving them is abundantly satisfying, and makes it rather hard to go back to the randomly generated boards of its spiritual predecessor.

But this is also the cause of my biggest complaint, that being the times when logic is thrown out the window and you are all but forced to guess in order to move forward. This is frustrating because you're allowed but one mistake before forfeiting your perfect rating, essentially requiring you to memorize patterns and replay levels or cheat and use screenshots of the completed puzzle to go back and perfect the stage. It's odd that a game essentially designed to entirely do away with the use of luck to solve puzzles falls into such a disappointing pitfall, but I can only assume it was an oversight by the developer as for the majority of the game it's entirely possible to intelligently complete stages, which I suppose is why these moments of guesswork stand out so strongly.

Although it just barley misses the mark, the overwhelming opinion I took away from Hexcells is that of a strong new logic puzzle that has the potential to perfect itself in future iterations, and may one day sit beside the likes of Picross and Sudoku. If you have any appreciation for the games I've compared it to, I wouldn't hesitate to check Hexcells out. It's budget priced so you've got very little to lose, and may find yourself similarly enamored by what at first seemed but a cheap knockoff.

Hexcells is a short but magnificent game that was an absolute joy to play while it lasted.

For a game that looks as simple and straightforward as Hexcells, there’s a surprising amount of entertainment to be derived from what is essentially a hex-based Minesweeper.
It’s pocket change, and if you like a relaxing puzzler with a great, clean aesthetic, Hexcells is definitely something I would recommend.

It's like a cross between Minesweeper and Picross set to a soothing, chilled out ambient soundtrack, where every successful move plays a note that sounds like you're contributing to the score. Yes, it's as addictive as that sounds, but alas it's over in a couple of hours. But it's still enormously addictive, and there are two sequels...

Great puzzle game. As others have mentioned, its minesweeper, with some added gameplay elements. Relaxing music, no time limit, and a very zen like vibe going thru-out.

Acheivement hunters, its an easy 100%. Took me 2 hours.

Only drawback is its short, so try to find it on sale.

Just echoing (heh) what's already been said:

It's a short and sweet cross between Minesweeper and Paint by Numbers (aka Nonograms, JCross, Picross).

Clever puzzle design (not too easy nor difficult). Nice ambient music and sound.

Easy to 100%.

If you already have it from a bundle, play it. Otherwise pick it up if it's on sale (may not be worth the $3 price point due to very short length (took me 2 hours to 100%)).

Nice relaxing puzzle game with gameplay familiar to anyone that's ever played minesweeper or one of its many derivatives. This one is based on purely logic based designs that must be solved flawlessly for perfect scores.

Get it now while it's still on sale if that sounds like your thing.

Great OCD timewaster!

The game is a mix of Minesweeper and Piccross within Hexagonal cells. It has beatufiul minimalistic graphics and it is very well organized within itself, keeping the player aware of new mechanics and making everything simple but escalating from it.

If you like Minesweeper, puzzles, have OCD tendencies, or just want to waste some time having fun while keeping your head occupied, then this game is for you.

Minesweeperest/10

Like Minesweeper, only it works. And it's clever as fukk.

It's a cross between Minesweeper and Paint by Numbers puzzles using hexes instead of squares. Good while it lasts, but very short. As in 98 minutes to 100% ingame and achievements for me. It was worth the portion of the bundle price I paid. If it's worth the $1.01 current sale price or $2.99 regular price is an exercise left for the reader.

One of the best puzzle games I've played. It's a bit like minesweeper but without the frustration of logically impossible puzzles, and it's honestly much more fun and interesting. It's simple to understand the basic rules/tricks but levels can definitely be tricky. Luckily there is always a logical next step based on the clues you get such as "there is 2 blues touching this hexagon" or "there are 3 blues in this column and they are all touching each other". The clues get more subtle as you go on, and by the end you need to combine multiple clues and always be considering what clues have now become relevant with your latest move.There's not a huge amount of puzzles, but the quality of them is good and the solutions/levels are nicely varied. It's already a low price and in the sale it usually drops by a good margin, so it's definitely value for money whenever you decide to pick it up.

Hexcells could be considered a spiritual successor to the classic game Minesweeper. Your goal is to determine which of the hexagonal cells on each grid should be marked blue, and which should be eliminated from the game, using the various clues given to you for each puzzle.

Unlike that classic, however, there is always a way to logically determine how to solve the puzzles in Hexcells without making a mistake. This sets it apart from games which use trial and error as a mechanic; while there is nothing wrong with trial and error, it's nice to see game that is designed thoughtfully enough to allow each level to be solved the first time without making a mistake for the observant.

Hexcells falls into that category of games which are easy to pick up and play, but difficult to master. Controlling the game could not be simpler; you need only use the mouse to confirm or erase cells and to navigate menus. The overall design aesthetic is pleasing both visually and aurally, with nice ambient music accompanying each section of the game. The music can easily be muted if you prefer, however. There is also no pressure; you can take as long as you need to solve a particular puzzle, and it's easy to back out if you need to take a break. All puzzles can be retried, and you can preview later stages as you unlock them through successful completion of the early stages. The only possible criticism, as I have seen pointed out in reviews on-line, is that you can't determine which puzzles still need to be perfected once you've cleared many of them, unless you write them down or something. Once a stage is cleared, its symbol in the puzzle index is marked blue, without any discerning marks to distinguish those you have perfected from those in which you made a mistake.

Hexcells is not a short game, but it's primary downfall is that once you've played through a few times, the replay value goes down. It's almost like the Portal series; once you have that initial moment of wonder and discovery as you solve each level, it wears off. You can't have those moments of discovery ever again as you have basically figured out everything there is to learn after so long.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't give this game a try, and the price is right. The puzzle design is very thoughtful; it's clear a lot of work went into each one to make sure that players can perfect them all. This is the type of design that appeals to me. Even if I make a mistake, I know I can come back later and re-examine the puzzle for the correct solution. Unlocking all six achievements is absolutely possible time and practice, adding an additional layer of accomplishment. If you like puzzle games, give Hexcells a try!

8.0 / 10

If you need some extra help with this game, check out my newly-published guide to Hexcells: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=320523083

Traditional Rating - 93/100
Recommendation - Minesweeper fans rejoice!!

Remember the free old Windows game Minesweeper? Remember how fun it was finding those hidden mines, and how you could feel your brain scream "NOOOOOOOOOOO" whenever a mine would pop its stupid head up and kill you? Remember how immensely frustrating it was when it was entirely impossible to solve levels without guessing?

WELL, NO MORE! Hexcells to the rescue.

Hexcells is very similar to Minesweeper in that you have to use various clues and reasoning to find the hidden blue cells on each level, but unlike Minesweeper, Hexcells' soultions can ALWAYS be reasoned, and if you're doing it right you will never have to guess.

The levels start out easy, with simple rules and puzzles, but new tricks are added just regularly enough to fully grasp, and before you know it, you'll find yourself scanning through 15 different criteria to find the 1-in-100 blue cell to start a level off. It's very satisfying.

Speaking of satisfying, the puzzles here never seem overwhelming or too tricky. Take my opinion with a grain of salt (since I have always loved games like this), but the level of difficulty in these puzzles was just perfect, and while some levels did force me to stare at them for a while, the solution was always there somewhere just waiting for me to grab it.

The Hexcells series is really 3 games: Hexcells, Hexcells Plus, and Hexcells Infinite. They each have different puzzles, and they are each worth getting, but Hexcells Infinite is the one to get if you're on a budget. It has the most advanced puzzles, and it includes a random level generator, so you can literally play to your heart's content. All 3 of them will slowly progress you through the mechanics of the game, though, so don't feel like you will be overwhelmed if you jump right into Infinite.

It's worth mentioning that the random levels in Infinite are mere pale shadows compared to the premade levels (they are often quite easy), but for fans that cannot get enough and don't want to go back to the guess-fest Minesweeper, they can be a lot of fun.

I highly recommend this game. If you're a fan of logic-based puzzle games, you can't go wrong with any of these 3 games. The prices are cheap, and the series is rather unique. If the devs could have just tightened up the infinite level generator ever-so-slightly, this game might be the only game I've rated to pass Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.

Scratch that Minesweeper itch, my friend!

Minesweeper x Sudoku w/ some great aesthetics.

Hexcells is a very relaxing game. It eases you in with the first few levels and then starting at around world 3, it gets a little bit more tricky. Your goal is simple enough: Right click the cells you think are blank, get a number that tells you how many blue 'hexcells' are adjacent to that cell, and then left-click the cells you think are blue. There are other variables introduced later on, but that's all you need to know at the start. Find all the blue cells in a level and you win. It's not an incredibly difficult game (it took me 4.5 hours to 100% the entire game) but the visual style and the relaxing ambient music make the experience worthwhile, especially if you get it on sale.

+Very elegant visuals and soothing audio
+Great gameplay concept executed perfectly
+Generally a fun puzzle game if you take your time...
-...but most of the earlier levels are too easy

Recommendation: Get it if any of the above sounded interesting to you. If it sounds too easy, get one of the sequels instead.

First things first: this game doesn't really have any replay value, and you will probably 100% it within 1.5 hours.

That being said, this is a really good set of logic puzzles, drawing elements from both Minesweeper and Picross. Each puzzle is well-crafted, and there's a nice, smooth difficulty curve (with the last set being really satisfying to solve). The interface is simple and clean, and the visuals combined with the music and sound effects form a relaxing, aesthetically pleasing experience; it avoids being dull while also allowing you to focus on solving the puzzles.

While it's disappointingly short, it's also appropriately priced (especially on sale, I bought it for one [1] American dollar). Definitely, 100% worth checking out if you like logic puzzles.

Nice game as an introduction to the series. I wish there were more puzzles at this difficulty. This game is easy and very short. Completed to 100% in less than 5 hours while tired and not thinking as fast as I would while fully awake. I think most will find the price is a bit high for the amount of content.

Many say that the game mechanics are similar to minesweeper crossed with Picross (nonogram puzzles) on a hex grid. I would say instead of standard picross mechanics it is closer to the mechanics used in Picross 3D which are actually somewhat different than standard nonogram puzzles.

At the end of each level, you are awarded with a certain amount of progress hexes which are used to unlock more levels. The amount of progress hexes earned depend on the difficulty of the level and the amount of mistakes you have made during the level. There is no way of knowing how many progress hexes there are for a specific level or, if you missed any in prior runs, how many are still left to earn. This is only indicated at the end of a level and can not be checked on again without completing the level once more.

Note that Hexcells Plus has a much higher difficulty than this game and not just more puzzles at a similar difficulty. If you found this game too easy or think you may be ready to try to take on more challenging levels, go try that. Don't be fooled by how easy the first few levels are on Hexcells Plus. By level 12 you've already exceeded the difficulty of this game. If you've played Hexcells Plus, my advice is to not bother with this game unless you found that the difficulty curve was too steep and are looking for more simple levels to better get used to the basics of the mechanics.

Very cool logic puzzle game. It taps into ways of thinking you wouldn't expect considering how simple the game appears. If only it was longer. And a bit more challenging. But its very cheap, so if you want more challenge, buy Hexcells Plus.

Miner+paint by numbers puzzle. Short and quite simple (but last puzzle haven't logical solution for some reason. You need once to guess right). Have it's potential, but not fulfills it. Worth my time and money... but only because it was very short time and very little money. :)

As many people said: It's pretty much like Minesweeper, but(!) in a new way you wouldn't expect.
It tooked the basic concept and evolved it with fresh features and a mdern interface. You never feel like playing a simple clone or an old rusty game. The Levels are preconstructed which makes u avoid the logical dead ends known from Minesweeper. But actually that's a downside too! It took me 1:30h to solve all puzzles in the game and earn every arcivement. For 5€ this would ve been way to less. I can only recommend this game because buying the double package for 2.50€ seems fair to me for this nice little puzzle game.