Welcome to HexSum!

HexSum

Hi! Thanks so much for visiting!

This is the HexSum game. It's a puzzle game with a few different modes. Read more about

• playing for free vs becoming a Pro member
• how to play the different modes
  • solo
  • timed solo
  • versus
• exporting to PDF (great for teachers!)
• what badges and accomplishments are
• sharing
• seeing your game history and analytics
• the solver

Free play vs. Being a Pro member

No ads, no tracking, no subscriptions!

This game is 100% ad free. You can play for free without being monetized by ads. If you want more than the free daily games, become a Pro member with a one-time payment. No subscriptions!

Free vs Pro

This is NOT a subscription service. If you want to be a Pro member, all you have to do is just create a user account and go through our Stripe payment flow. That's it. If you want to play for free, then you don't need an account!

Playing for Free means you can play all the daily games.

As a Pro member, you can

• play all the daily games
• create your own custom games for all game modes (Solo, Timed, PvP, vs CPU)
• download a PDF export
• share your own custom games
• earn badges by unlocking accomplishments
• retain a history of your games
• get access to the solver

Solo mode

The goal is to use ALL the hexes. Every puzzle is solvable. We are trying to find all paths where each path's sum is 10. Each hex can only be used once. Here are examples using this sample puzzle.

Sample puzzle

Incomplete solve

Notice in this puzzle the 5-4-1 cannot be connected. This puzzle is not solved!

Complete solve

On the other hand, for the same puzzle, these set of path choices uses each hex. The puzzle is solved! You can see that the these path choices work by looking at the fresh puzzle above.

Timed mode

This mode is like the Solo mode, but you have to solve all the puzzles within the allotted time period. The daily timed puzzle is a set of new puzzles each day. But if you are a Pro member you can try different settings to make it more or less challenging.

Versus mode (CPU or PvP)

The Versus mode is different from the Solo or Timed mode. When you play Versus, the goal is still to find paths that add to the target sum but you want to score more points than your opponent (the CPU or another human).

You get 1 point per hex tile in your path. And you get bonus points equal to the tens place for the largest value in your path. So, if you are playing a game with a target of 30 and you find a path like 27-2-1, that's worth a total of 5 points: 3 points for the length of the path and another 2 because the largest value is 27 which has a tens place value of 2.

There is a first turn bias in this modes. Whoever goes first has a better chance of winning.

CPU

The CPU is tricky, but it is not AI. It is a semi-greedy heuristic that flips between finding short paths and long paths. You can definitely beat it, but it's not always a guarantee.

PDF export

Want to have a game to play but you want to do it on paper? Maybe you are a teacher and you want this is an activity for your students but don't want them on the screen? If you are a Pro member, you have this ability.

Sharing

You can share a game with a friend for them to try! There is a share link next to the New Game button.

Badges and Accomplishments!

Pro Members! As you play different modes and find different solutions, you'll get awarded badges for unlocking certain accomplishments. Like if you get a very long path, you might get the Freight Train badge. If you can beat the CPU by 1 point, you might get the badge for "A Win's A Win" accomplishment.

Analytics

Pro members have their own Analytics view. You can get to it by clicking on your username in the top navigation pane. There you will see what badges you've earned and also a history of your games. You can replay old games or finish incomplete ones.

The Solver

Pro members can use the solver to see a complete solution of the puzzle. Only works on the Solo, non-timed modes.

I hope you enjoy this game!