Overview
shikaku is the clean geometry puzzle that feels like drawing truth on graph paper. Each number wants a rectangle whose area matches it, and your job is to partition the grid so every claim is satisfied without overlap. The game’s elegance is in constraints that read without gimmicks: edges and corners narrow possibilities, neighbors limit spans, and partial rectangles create honest deductions. You begin by claiming obvious fits—ones, twos, and edge-adjacent numbers—then let those boxes carve corridors that define the rest. When ambiguity persists, you test borders: extend a tentative edge; if it collides with another rectangle’s necessity, adjust and confirm. It’s visual algebra—simple units combine into larger certainties—and the UI keeps lines crisp so mapping feels like drafting rather than erasing. The rhythm is satisfying because progress never depends on luck. You see how rectangles must grow, you respect the grid’s logic, and you finish with a tidy partition that reads like a solved blueprint.