How to Play

How to play

SumSweeper looks calm on the surface, but every board is a small system of overlapping sums that only resolves cleanly when you compare multiple clue regions at once.

Quick Answer

A clue cell in SumSweeper shows the total of the hidden cells touching it. Because hidden values can only be 1, 2, or 4, each board is solved by comparing overlapping totals until one combination stops fitting.

Early Example

If a clue touches three hidden cells and shows 7, those cells must be 1, 2, and 4 in some order. The rest of the board decides where each value goes.

First Solve

How do you solve a board without guessing?

Read the smallest clue groups first and count how many hidden cells they actually touch.
Use the fixed value set of 1, 2, and 4 to list the few combinations that can produce that total.
Cross-check those combinations against neighboring clues before you commit to a fill.
Once one region becomes certain, use that placement to collapse the next overlap instead of rescanning the whole board.

Modes

Campaign and daily ask for different mindsets

Campaign

Use notes, undo, and hints to understand the system. The campaign is for building clean reading habits across 40 boards.

Daily Challenge

The daily board keeps notes and undo, but removes hints and limits mistakes. It turns the same rules into a higher-pressure read.

Core Rules

Read the clues first

A clue never counts itself. Only adjacent hidden cells contribute to the shown total.

Use 1, 2, and 4 deliberately

The same sum can come from different combinations, so compare multiple clue regions before you commit.

Campaign first, daily for pressure

Clear the 40-board campaign in standard mode, then use the daily challenge for one shared harder board with three mistakes and zero hints.

Controls

Fill

Choose 1, 2, or 4, then tap a hidden cell.

Notes

Use note mode to keep candidates visible while you compare neighboring clue regions.

Hint

Hints reveal one correct hidden value and are best used when one overlap chain is completely stalled.

Common Mistakes

What usually causes a wrong fill?

Treating one clue as enough

A local combination can look plausible and still fail the neighboring clue that should confirm it.

Ignoring board shape

The same total means something different in a two-cell pocket than it does in a four-cell cluster. Count touched cells first.

Using hints too early

Hints are useful for momentum, but the campaign teaches more when you first try to collapse one overlap chain yourself.

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