Show HN: Got sick of ads, so I made my own logic puzzle site

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Puzzle selection and quality

  • Many commenters enjoy the concept and specific games (e.g., Sudoku variants, Star Battle, Nonograms), and appreciate ad-free logic puzzles.
  • Several criticize the Nonograms: too many symmetric “diamond” patterns, mis-sized grids (not multiples of 5), and early puzzles being trivial despite higher difficulty labels.
  • Some Star Battle puzzles reportedly have non-unique solutions, making “mistake counting” frustrating.
  • One user initially believed a Sudoku was invalid; others clarified it was an “X Sudoku” with diagonal constraints. There are calls for clearer rules and variant explanations.

UI, UX, and design choices

  • Overall UI is considered clean and mobile-friendly, but the homepage is described as visually overwhelming and top-heavy, with the “newspaper” theme polarizing.
  • Star Battle interface is criticized for requiring mode switches instead of using right-click for exclusions, and for tracking mistakes in a pure logic puzzle.
  • Nonogram borders and sizing choices feel “uncanny” to experienced solvers.
  • A dark-mode toggle being locked behind account settings is widely disliked; suggestions include following system theme via CSS.

Accounts, monetization, and trust

  • Core model: no ads, no subscription, but an account is needed to track progress and unlock additional puzzles after 25 per type/difficulty, for a small one-time payment.
  • Some readers view the mandatory sign-up and paywall as at odds with the “no ads, no subscription” messaging and request clearer up-front pricing and rationale.
  • Suspicion arises about collecting emails; the creator states fake emails are fine and that no revenue has been made yet.

AI involvement and “LLM smell”

  • Multiple commenters detect an “LLM aesthetic” in the homepage design and question whether puzzles are AI-generated.
  • The creator says about half the Nonograms were hand-made and the rest generated with one specific model; other models performed worse.
  • Some users argue the site feels “vibe-coded” and under-tested; others defend it as a legitimate hobby project.

Alternatives and related projects

  • Numerous links to other ad-free puzzle sites, apps, engines, and collections are shared for comparison and inspiration.