What is Xypher?
Xypher is a puzzle-solving game that challenges you to guess the positions of colored circles on a grid in as few turns as possible. It's a simple concept - but to master the game you'll need to learn its secrets and develop a strategy to maximize the chance of your next guess solving the puzzle. In other words, you always have to think a turn ahead!
How to Play:
The rules of the game are simple, but mastering Xypher is a journey:
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Solve the puzzle by guessing the correct position of colored circles on the game board.
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Each level uses the same set of circles in every puzzle. The board is set up with the correct number of each circle at the beginning of every game.
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You guess by playing different circles in each space on the board, or leaving spaces blank.
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Only one circle of any kind can occupy the same row and column in the solution. However, you can play as many circles of any type as you want in each row or column in your guesses.
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Arrange the board as you like, then click "Guess." Xypher will place a dot at the top of the column and to the left of the row for each correctly placed circle on the board.
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Only circles placed in exactly the right position are scored. For instance, a circle placed in the correct row but not in the correct column will not be scored at all.
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The number of dots you "score" each turn doesn't matter. In fact, lower scoring guesses will often tell you more about the solution than higher scoring ones. The number of guesses it takes to solve the puzzle is the only score that matters.
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Your goal each game is to solve the puzzle in the fewest number of guesses possible.
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Your goal in the long run is to achieve the lowest possible average score. Get the lowest average score over at least 10 games and you'll find yourself at the top of the leaderboard!
As you play the game, you will start to recognize patterns that will help you solve the puzzle in fewer guesses. Be patient and focus on solving specific parts of the puzzle first. Trying to guess the whole game board at once is likely to produce results that are hard - or even impossible - to interpret.
Consider this: There are five different board sizes to choose from: a 4x4, 5x5, 6x6, 7x7, and 8x8 grid. The "easiest" version, level 4 (4x4), has 576 possible solutions. To earn your Xypher master badge at each level, your average score must be lower than the board size. To master the 4x4 game board, you will have to devise a strategy for guessing that eliminates, on average, 144 possible solutions with each guess. On the 8x8 game board that number rises to over 203 million!
Do you have what it takes to master Xypher? Good luck! Read on to get tips on playing the game, or...
Tip: Study the board
Take a close look at the board at the beginning of each game.
It shows a valid solution for the game board you are playing. There are many clues to be found here, such as the number of each colored circle in the solution. You'll also notice that no matching circles appear in the same row or column.
Those are just a few of the things the board can teach you. It is a great reference for your guesses, because there are many other hints to be found if you study it carefully.
Tip: Only solve a part of the puzzle at a time
Each turn is a calculated risk. Trying to guess too much of the board at once usually leads to results you can't interpret. Without a strategy it can be difficult to tell which circles are correct. Your goal each turn should be to make it as likely as possible to solve the puzzle with your next guess.
It is better to focus on one aspect of the solution at a time. That way, you are more likely to get results that confirm which circles are correct and you can build your board from there. After a while, you'll learn techniques that help you solve more of the board at once, helping to lower your score.
Tip: Look for patterns
As you play more games, you will start to recognize patterns. You'll see them in the relationships between colors on the board, and you'll see them in the scores you receive after guesses.
After a while, you may learn to recognize when a score tells you that all you need to do is swap the colors in certain rows or columns to get from a board that is less than half solved to solving the puzzle in a single guess.
A lower-scoring guess will often tell you more about the game board - especially if the score resembles a pattern you have seen before.
Tip: Your short term goal is to get a low score.
Your long term goal is to get a low average score.
When you first start playing, it will be difficult to guess the puzzle in just a few guesses, even for the smallest boards.
The first sign that you are getting better at the game is that you will start to solve the puzzle in fewer turns. Once you start to master the game, you will see your average score get lower.
The home screen displays a circle for each board size, your average score for games you've played at that board size, and a link that lets you restart your game - but requires you to rebuild a new streak of 10 games before you can rejoin the leaderboards.
Mastering Xypher: How do you know when you are making progress?
When you start playing Xypher, you will be figuring out how the game works. Your scores will likely be multiples of the game board size. As you start to discover the game's patterns, your scores will begin to get closer to the size of the game board. Solve 10 puzzles to earn your "expert" badge for each level.
As you start to master the game, you will develop strategies that will help you lower your score to about the size of the game board, and create opportunities to solve puzzles in even fewer guesses.
If your average score is lower than the board size, you will earn your "master" badge for that level.
Can you earn your master badge for each level? Then you will truly be a Xypher master!