The Sacred Algorithm
Help Chippy with his very important job: keeping social network conversations warm. And nothing keeps a conversation going like a good argument. Or a bad one, it doesn't really matter.
Arrange the posts so that opposing opinions end up side by side. Dogs or cats? The clues on the margins tell you how heated each row and column must be.
If you like nonograms or Picross, you will feel at home: the clues count streaks of clashes instead of filled squares, and every puzzle can be solved by pure deduction.
- Design, code and graphics by rubenuxo
- Made for Mini Jam 221: Autumn
- The font is Monogram by datagoblin.
- Made with LÖVE.
Controls
The game is played with the mouse.
Board
- Left click: cycle a square (empty, first opinion, second opinion)
- Right click: clear a square
- Hold and drag: paint several squares with the same opinion
- Click on the margin of a row or column: leave a note on that line (padlock: sure, heart: I think so, question mark: I doubt it). Right click removes it. Notes are only for you.
Shortcuts
- Undo: Cmd+Z or Ctrl+Z on Windows
- Restart: Cmd+R or Ctrl+R on Windows
- Zoom x1 to x5: 1 to 5
- Fullscreen: 0
How to play
- Every square holds a post with one of two opinions, for example a dog or a cat. Two posts side by side either agree (same opinion) or clash (different opinions). Clashes light up the border between them, from yellow to red the longer the streak.
- The numbers at the left of each row and above each column are not squares: they are streaks of consecutive clashes along that line, in order. `0` means no clashes at all, so the whole line agrees. Two streaks are always separated by at least one agreement.
- Locked posts (the ones with a padlock) are your starting points and cannot be changed.
- Fill every square so that all the clues are met. A clue turns green when its streak is proven, and red when its line is complete and wrong.
- Every puzzle can be solved by pure deduction, with no guessing. If you feel you have to bet, there is a deduction you have not found yet.
- There is no timer penalty, no move limit and no way to lose: undo as much as you like.
- Stuck? After a while, Clip offers to solve a line for you. Puzzles solved with its help are marked with a ? in the level select.
- Start with the tutorial and then pick any level, they are all open from the beginning.
Download
Install instructions
The game is not signed, so your system may warn you the first time you open it.
- Windows: click "More info" and then "Run anyway".
- Mac: try to open the app once and dismiss the warning. Then go to System Settings > Privacy & Security, scroll down to the security section, click "Open Anyway" next to The Sacred Algorithm and confirm. On macOS 14 or earlier you can instead right-click the app, choose "Open" and confirm.





Comments
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Interesting take on Picross! I like it.