Welcome to the Microsoft Sudoku (Win 8) walkthrough.
This walkthrough is written for a legit completion. As every person is unique and everyone has a different view on taking shortcuts, using solvers, … I'll hide that information in a spoiler. It is totally up to you if you want to make use of them or not. Simply click the spoilers in the walkthrough if you want to make use of the additional information.
You need to be connected to Xbox LIVE to unlock achievements.
This walkthrough is divided into 2 parts: Classic Mode and the Daily Challenges. Gamers familiar with other games with "Microsoft" in the title know that you need at least a year to grind out the daily challenges. Microsoft Sudoku is the same and will not be a fast completion!
You want a faster completion? Click the spoiler at your own risk!
This walkthrough is written while playing on version 1.2.1406.2005
WARNING: This version is know for its random progress reset!
Enjoy Microsoft Sudoku!
Love playing Sudoku? Grab the Japanese version Microsoft Number Puzzle from the Japanese marketplace. Click the spoiler to find out how to change your marketplace.
*** Spoiler - click to reveal ***Swipe right to make a menu appear. Choose "Settings - Change PC settings - Time and language - Region and language". Change your region to Japan.
Reminder: If you ever want to download this game again from your download history, make sure your region is set to Japan again.
Sudoku is a puzzle game with numbers and a 9x9 grid. To complete the grid, you need to fill in all the numbers from 1 to 9 in each row, each column, and each 3x3 house. Every number can only be entered once in each row, column and house.
The game has some "helper" functions:
- Block Duplicates: You cannot enter a number twice in a column, row or house.
- Show Incorrect: The wrongly entered numbers will be marked with a red "X".
- Show Guides: Pressing a blank square on the grid will highlight all possible numbers that can be entered in that square.
- Hint x3: You have 3 hints. Press a blank square and press hint, the game will fill in the right number for you.
Feel free to use those helper functions as much as you like.
You can also make use of notes. See also the "How to play" section in game for more information regarding Sudoku.
In need of a solver? Click the spoiler.
WARNING: The game is known for its random progress reset! You better do all achievements below in one run to be safe! It takes about 3-4 hours to grind out the 100 completed puzzles.
VERY EASY
Start up your first Sudoku puzzle in very easy. Press the "Menu" button, click on "Show all notes" and immediately click on "Erase Notes". Now turn on all the "Helper" functions (Block Duplicates, Show Incorrect and Show Guides). Choose an empty square and click on the "Hint" button. Repeat this 2 more times to use all of your hints.
Complete the Sudoku and you will unlock the next 3 achievements:
Just CheckingUsed Show all Notes and then used Erase Notes with no other actions inbetween
Helping HandSolved a puzzle using all three Guide types, and consuming all the hints
Start a new Sudoku on the very easy difficulty, complete it without making use of any notes to unlock the next achievement.
Continue to complete 3 other Sudoku puzzles on very easy to unlock
EASY
Complete one Sudoku puzzle on the Easy difficulty. Use whatever aids you want.
MEDIUM
Continue to the medium difficulty and complete at least one Sudoku puzzle on this difficulty with or without aids.
HARD
Time to move on to the hard difficulty. Use whatever aids you want and complete at least one Sudoku puzzle on the hard difficulty.
EXPERT
Last difficulty is the expert difficulty. Complete a Sudoku puzzle on this difficulty but do not use any aids. Too difficult for you? Click the spoiler.
Upon completion of this Sudoku puzzle you will unlock the next two achievements:
Puzzle ExpertCompleted a puzzle on Expert difficulty without using any Guides or helper functions
Complete another 2 Sudoku puzzles on this difficulty and choose whatever aids you want and the next achievement will be yours.
ANY DIFFICULTY
And now for the grinding part. This can be done on any difficulty. The fastest way is grinding on the very easy difficulty.
WARNING: Remember the random progress reset. You are advised to grind it in one run.
While grinding out the 100 completed Sudoku puzzles, look out for the next 2 opportunities. If you get a Sudoku puzzle with at least seven "7" (you can see it by the small number above the 7), do not place any 7.
Place all other numbers first and keep those "7" for last.
All other numbers filled in? Now place the seven "7" in a row in the blank squares and you will unlock the next achievement.
Lucky 7'sCompleted a puzzle where the last seven moves you made were correctly placing sevens
Look out for a Sudoku puzzle where there is a blank "X" in the middle house.
Fill all the numbers except those in the blank "X".
Do not continue until the next achievement unlocks. It might take a few seconds before it unlocks. After the achievement unlocks carry on filling in the rest of the numbers to complete the Sudoku puzzle.
X Marks the SpotFilled the board, leaving empty squares in an "X" shape in the center 3x3 block
While grinding out, you will probably unlock the next achievement without even trying. You must complete a Sudoku puzzle within one minute for the next achievement. You can do this multiple ways:
- Have a fast brain and fast fingers.
- Turn the helper function "Show Guides" on. (The other helper functions is up to you). Each time you select a blank square, it will show all possibilities. If only one number is marked, press it fast. Fill up the grid that way and if you manage to do it within one minute, you are successful.
- Click the spoiler.
Keep grinding and you will unlock the next achievement along the way.
CalligrapherDrew 50 numbers on the board using a stylus OR placed 500 numbers
Carry on until you completed 100 completed games. You earned the next achievement.
You thought the 100 completed games was bad, welcome to the most time consuming part of the game!
Each month you can earn only one bronze, one silver and one gold medal. The requirement for the medals are 2000 points for bronze, 6000 points for silver and 12000 points for gold.
Note: Those requirements can change at any time. Simply press on the "medal" in the progress bar and you will be notified of the requirement. Once a month is passed, you cannot go back to another month. Any time during the month you can go back to a passed day in that month by clicking on "View all -month- Challenges". Each day contains 3 challenges. The higher the difficulty of the challenge, the more points you get. Complete all 3 in one day and you get bonus points.
There are 2 types of challenges: Symbol and Irregular
- Symbol: A default 9x9 grid but the numbers are replaced with symbols.
- Irregular: A 9x9 grid, but the square houses are replaced with irregular forms. You need to fill in each number 1-9 in each column, each row and in each irregular house.
Complete any challenge to unlock the next achievement.
When you play a challenge of the "Symbol" type look out for a Sudoku puzzle where the middle square is blank.
Depending on your task (mine was completing 2 rows), make sure your last task ends with placing the symbol in the middle square. In my case I had to complete my second row by placing the last symbol of the row in the middle blank square.
Center StageFinished a Symbol Sudoku puzzle by placing the last symbol in the exact center of the board
Keep playing daily challenges and when you complete 100 irregular houses, you will be rewarded with the next achievement.
Note: The achievement requires completed houses, the task is not necessary for completing the houses, but could be completing rows or columns.
The next achievement requires a little bit of your attention. TIP: Combine this achievement with the next one.
You must log in EVERY day and complete at least one daily challenge of that day during one month. The month goes from the first to the last day (and not for instance from 16 June till 16 July). If you forgot to log in a day and go back by using the button "View all -month- Challenges" you will NOT be rewarded with the next achievement. Your attention slipped away and you broke your streak? Bad luck, try again next month or click the spoiler.
POSITIVE GLITCH ALERT: Unlike the other Microsoft games, you can go back to a previous missed day and still unlock the achievement at the end of the month. Beware this might get patched in the future!
MarathonLogged in each day of an entire month and completed at least one Daily Challenge
As you are going for previous achievement you perfectly can combine it with the next one. It requires to complete all challenges of a whole month. Unlike previous achievement, you can go back to a previous day in the month and still unlock the achievement.
PerfectionCompleted all Daily Challenges in a month
Keep playing daily challenges until you earn 8 gold medals and 12 bronze medals to unlock their respectively achievement.