Wednesday, 25 October 2023

Walker

"Usowan!" Alcazar shouts. "What is the meaning behind these deceitful puzzles?"
"Aren't they fun?" Usowan nods in acknowledgement. "It’s been a while, Alcazar. Unfortunately, you’re not the one I want to talk to."
They glance over to Shye and me. "If your only concern is the GAPP backlog, don’t worry - I’ll have it fixed by tomorrow morning. But if you’re here looking for answers, I’ll need to challenge you to one more puzzle. Think of it as a duel. A Star Duel, if you will."
Two hovering grids materialize below the large skylight. "One grid representing the light from the sun, and the other, the darkness of the moon’s shadow. Does either have all the answers?"
I walk up to the sun-shaped grid, and Shye goes toward the moon. "If we solve this you'll tell us everything, right?"
"Everything? Isn't it more fun when you know less?" They tease. We look back in silence. "Oh fine, I'll share what I know, just at least make this entertaining!"

Rules: Place exactly as many stars as indicated above the puzzle in every row, column, and region. Stars cannot touch each other orthogonally or diagonally. Stars must be in the same position in both grids.

Note: This puzzle can be solved by two solvers at once, using network play! Each solver should open one of the two links under Duo. Then, decide on a secret word, and in the URLs, change CODE1 or CODE2 to this word. As you solve, progress should sync between the two grids!

Example
Solo (Penpa): https://tinyurl.com/ytgnsomj
Duo
Left Grid (puzzlink): https://tinyurl.com/vhfshrpt
Right Grid (puzzlink): https://tinyurl.com/3y9rk89s

Solve in 6:00 or under for a Speedy Sloth! 🦥
Complete in 12:00 or under for a Quick Crab! 🦀
And all solvers who complete the puzzle will earn a Starlight Sora! 🐦

Puzzle
Solo (Penpa): https://tinyurl.com/yvpbltok
Duo
Sun (puzzlink): https://tinyurl.com/ssw7dxnm
Moon (puzzlink): https://tinyurl.com/3wn4wax8