Very disappointed – Sue Doku Review

The developers have some great ideas but they miss the mark here. I just paid my 99¢ and took it for a spin for a few minutes. First off: it looks very nice but there are a bunch of weaknesses that make for a poor game-playing experience. Caveat: I'm a "sudoku power player" (whatever that might be) but I've easily played 100,000 games of sudoku in the last 10 years. A lot of those on iOS. The point being that I know what I'm talking about. First issue, the very subtle UI, which looks fantastic, is a little too subtle for very fast game play. There's not enough contrast between the grid, the original numbers in the puzzle, your entries, and your "notes." Second issue, is the little pop-up box for number entry is a great concept but the way it's implemented just really slows down gameplay. You have to tap into a cell and then tap on the number. Even worse, you have to tap into a cell, then tap on enter notes, then enter your number(s), AND THEN wait until the number entry box goes away. Plus, the pop-up box obscures part of the puzzle. The fact that there isn't enough visual distinction and that too many taps are required to enter a number or notes makes for very slow game play. Ideally one should have the option to enter all 4's in a sequence without having to hit the cell, then hit 4 each and every time. The same goes for notes, ideally one should be able to select a notes mode outside the cell and then be able to enter a bunch of notes in a number of cells in very fast sequence. The fact that there are way too many key presses required, not enough visual context, and parts of the board get obscured also make it very hard to "play ahead of yourself." Meaning entering in one number at the same time that you're identifying the next two or three numbers that you want to enter in other cells. I would expect to be able to finish a level 1 puzzle in less than a minute and a level 4 puzzle in 4 or 5 minutes at the absolute maximum. The impediments to fast gameplay that I've mentioned make that impossible. It's also extremely difficult to enter notes into a cell when the pop-up box is blocking part of the row, the adjacent group of nine boxes, etc. I'll probably keep this installed in the event that the developers release an updated version that addresses any of these limitations so I can try it again when they do. I would give this app 4 or 5 stars based on where they are trying to go in terms of a crisp, clean interface and focused gameplay experience. But I have to drag a couple stars off of there because of the speed bumps that slow down the game…
Review by T M H on Sue Doku.