Cardinal Chains
Cardinal Chains
- A minimalist puzzle game centering on the concept of non-decreasing sequences.
Each puzzle begins with a monochrome grid of numbers, plus a few colored cells marked with an X. Starting at these cells, you must link up numbers in non-decreasing order until the whole grid is filled with color.
- 500 unique, carefully handcrafted puzzles of varying difficulty, each with a single solution
- Beautiful, lengthy chill-out soundtrack created by professional artists
- Minimalist, elegant design without timers, scores or other hassles
- Several built-in color themes, including colorblind options. Or...
- ...make your own color themes - right from within the game!
- Includes free Steam key (unless purchased in a bundle)
Free Official Solution Book and Color Themes Guide available.
A game by Daniel Nora.
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $2.99 USD. Your purchase comes with a Steam key. You will get access to the following files:
Also available on
Download demo
Development log
- The big update is out!Sep 09, 2021
- Major update coming out on September 9!Sep 02, 2021
- Faster puzzle switching and more compatible savesApr 12, 2018
- Demo now includes 100 levels!Apr 07, 2018
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
I've been playing this on and off for years. It's a real steal for its price and is a brilliant little puzzler.
I can't believe the game isn't available for newer version of android in playstore -_-
Fixed!
LET'S GO! THANKS DEVS
the demo does have some 'inconsistent' difficulty. I got stuck on level 49 for like 2-4 days and then beat levels 50-52 in a few seconds
did I say 50-52? I actually meant 50-64.
whats the diffrence between the numbers?
im just guessing the orders
im stupid
have you read the description? it says " you must link up numbers in non-decreasing order"
yeah i found that out later
Very nice and satisfying game. I loved it. Took me about 30 minutes to complete the 100 levels.
interesting how the solutions to some of the puzzles are just on this page.
Is the soundtrack available for download
Sort of! All songs were licensed from Soundstripe, which lets you listen online for free. Here's the playlist: https://app.soundstripe.com/private_playlists/music/318541
Some songs may sound slightly different because I removed some stems (vocals mostly) but overall it's pretty much the same.
As for downloading, I believe you have to subscribe to their service to be able to do that.Pretty nice, reminds me of Understand
I completed the first 50 levels and made a video of my first playthrough! I'm proud of myself for having completed them in less than 30min! The next challenge will be for levels 51-100, which will probably take more time haha! Really enjoyed your game, one of my favorite puzzles of 2023! =D
Oh my, the levels are getting harder and harder! It is going to take me a while to push to level 500 haha 😅. Here my recording of levels 51-70!
Thank you so much for making these videos! It's always great for us game developers to watch other people enjoying our creations. Take your time playing and have fun!
P.S.: There's a quicker way to go to the next level when you finish a puzzle, just click anywhere on the screen (no need to find the arrow)!
Thank you for the words of encouragement! I love good challenges and I think I am up to the task haha! Thank you for this quick tip about going to the next level without having to click on the arrow! Love it!
Ah drat XD I completed all 100 puzzles on web browser onto to then realize that was still the "demo", so I'll have to replay them all (my brain just assumed it would be the full game since I own it lol). My silly mistake aside, this is a very very fun puzzle game. Things were challenging but never to the point where I was frustrated or took me more than a couple of minutes, making it the perfect brain break between homework assignments. I highly recommend even just playing the 100 demo levels if you can, but the $3 is well worth it.
how did you guarantee the uniqueness of each solution?
Simply by checking each puzzle with a solving program I created!
this reminds me so much of flow free, the mobile game where you have to fill the grid with colored pipes - this is like that but just with non-decreasing sequences. as a math alumni and someone who loved flow free, i'm enjoying this so much!
Fun game! I like it. Well executed progression and teaching of game mechanics. Relaxing visuals and soundtrack. Interesting puzzle concept. Very nicely done.
Good game, but VERY unbalanced.
or maybe it is relatively balanced, IDK I had to stop at #83 because of time (I only had ~30 mins)
REVIEW:
I keep coming back to this game, occasionally playing a few levels. I'm now more than halfway, but there are still many to go (500 levels in total!). Despite its unassuming appearance and simple progression mechanics (solve a puzzle -> unlock the next one), this might just be one of the best puzzle games of the huge bundle it was in.
All of the puzzles are solvable; you're never truly stuck for a long time. Nevertheless, they all require some thought and it never gets trivial. If you're searching for the perfect relaxing puzzle game to get you into a flow state, this is it.
Absolutely loved this game!
Chill gameplay and music, well designed levels and so much content that it kept me playing for literally months! Looking forward to more games from mr. Nora!
Good game, interesting concept
Great game, Cool Puzzles, And Amazing music how'd you make it??
Finished the demo and loved it. Now that I've beaten the demo and downloaded the full game (purchased earlier in a bundle)... how do I skip to level 100? Do I HAVE to replay the first 100 levels?
Hello! If you played the downloadable version of the demo, you will be able to pick up right where you left off. If you played the browser version, it's impossible to access the browser's save data. No worries though, just send me an email to [email protected] and I will provide a save file straight to level 101!
thanks so much for the prompt reply. I think I'll just replay them it's going quicker the second time through, lol. Seriously enjoying the game and the dope soundtrack.
Hahaha I understand! Thank you so much for the kind words, have fun!
Great game!
Really nice game, I had a blast doing the first 111 !
Fun and interesting game. About 100 levels in they got difficult to the point it felt like too much effort, but I enjoyed my time with it
Intuitive gameplay. Clear and crisp art style. Chill sound scapes. Got to lvl 38 before my brain went NOPE
<3
Amazing game, with a really chill and relaxing soundtrack. Really enjoyed it!
I'll just point out that despite the claim "each with a single solution", I found that levels 145 and 383 had at least two solutions, but that's just nitpicking :D
Wow, what a great little chill, puzzle game.
The music is so relaxing. I have it on my second monitor while working at home. I work. I do a couple of puzzles and mellow to the tracks.
Fantastic!
As the developer, knowing that you like the soundtrack well enough to listen to it while working is a really great compliment, thanks a lot!
By the way, you can listen to the soundtrack directly on the browser if you prefer (some tracks are not exactly the same because I did some remastering, but they're very similar): https://app.soundstripe.com/private_playlists/music/318541
Now that's pretty groovy, man. Thanks!
Your game is pretty great, btw. :D
(Although, I too got stuck on lvl 98 and, shamefully, had to look up the answer--that one was stupidly rough on my brain.)
great music as well!! i usually mute games i play
a lot of fun!! :D
Hi! I'm really enjoying the game! I am however very stuck on lvl 98 and would love some help! thanks!
Here's the full guide!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jf0anodq6dgJOMp5WpuypDZx3AyrWOoj/view
Thank you so much!
It was the first game I played in the bundle for Ukraine. I liked it so much I purchased it on my phone as well. Nice job!
Many thanks for both buying the bundle and supporting me! Enjoy!
Expressing my appreciation for the controls and interface here as well. Very slick and intuitive - could've easily been annoying but isn't. :D
I remember playing this on my phone a few years back. Pretty simple concept, but this is probably one of the best puzzle games I've ever played.
First thing that came to my mind is GMTK's video about tutorials. This game is a perfect example of a tutorial done right, seemlessly integrated in the gameplay, no text needed.
Controls are pretty much perfect on my opinion. When playing The Witness I was really frustrated with drawing lines, it felt really clunky to me. Here it's very easy, and satisfying.
Thank you so much for the kind words, enjoy it!
How do I link Cardinal Chains bought here on itch.io with my steam account? I didn't found any key to get the key to insert on steam, does someone know how to do it?
if you bought it in a bundle, you don't get a key
Boo woo
It's itch.io, this website has it's own launcher. You can add this game to steam as a non-steam game (https://www.makeuseof.com/how-to-add-non-steam-games-to-steam-library/#:~:text=To add a non-Steam,applications installed on your system.)
This thing is very addictive
This was the first game I played out of the Bundle for Ukraine. Really enjoying the vibes.
Same, love it!
Fantastic soundtrack. Played 50 levels and then just let the music play in the background after. Great game too!
Superb game, Daniel! Nice puzzles, lovely interface, and great work on the sound.
As an aspiring game dev myself, how did you get such an array of music for the game? From fairly big names, no less! I assume you licenced the tracks; where should I go to do the same?
Can't wait to see what you make next!
Cheers!
Hello Harvey, thank you for the kind words!
Yes, I licensed the tracks from Soundstripe, which I highly recommend! In fact, you can listen to the whole soundtrack on their website through this link: https://app.soundstripe.com/private_playlists/music/318541
Best of luck to you!
Thank you, sir! Good luck to you as well ^^
such nice music and ambiance i really like it kudos to the developper for this simple yet rich idea and game (imstuck at 58 help lol)
Thanks! By the way, you can always check the solution book!
"Hm, this game is pretty long I'm on level 46. Lemme check how many levels there are- OH MY GOD."
if you liked hard games like this one i suggest you guys if you can play my game too it will be nice for me to get at least 1 euro out of my game Wazros.
have a nice day!
damn