Beyond Sudoku

As far as I can determine, the history of Star Battle began in the Netherlands in 2003. That makes it younger than many classic logic puzzles, but after more than two decades, it can hardly be called new. The puzzle is generally credited to Dutch puzzle designer Hans Eendebak, who created it for the 12th World Puzzle Championship, held at the Papendal Sports Complex in Arnhem.

For the second puzzle in the Beyond Sudoku series, I picked Skyscrapers. This puzzle originated in Japan and is usually credited to Masanori Natsuhara, who created it in 1992. It first appeared in the Japanese puzzle magazine Puzzler, and it received early international exposure through the 1st World Puzzle Championship in New York City that same year. The puzzle is also known by names such as Towers, Building City Puzzle, Building Puzzle, Building Heights, and sometimes Skyline puzzle.

Sudoku is the phenomenon that truly popularized deductive grid logic worldwide. It has filled countless puzzle books, sparked global competitions, and kept millions of pencils sharp for decades.

Whether you are a seasoned solver or just looking for a quick logic reset, this is a deep dive into the underlying mechanics of the world’s favorite grid, its wildest variations, and how you can get your hands on a custom, hand-crafted variety pack today.

The first puzzle in this series is “Easy as ABC”—though in my own collections, I often call it “First Sight.” I sometimes get asked why I use my own custom names instead of the more common ones. The answer is simple: I am always aiming to create a story around these puzzles. I want to connect them into a cohesive experience rather than just dumping a random collection of grids on you (though, when time runs tight, it admittedly turns out that way sometimes!).