Meet the Riddler!

Friday, April 30th, 2010

Puzzlers on the East Coast are on red alert as Japan’s Puzzle Premier Tetsuya Nishio returns to the U.S. to participate in the World Sudoku Championships in Philadelphia this weekend. And after the Team Japan captain demolishes the competition, he will take on his fans, and rivals, at two events next week. To promote his most recent American release, O’Ekaki Decadence, Master Nishio will be signing his new book in the two East Coast metropolises big enough to contain a man of his caliber, Philadelphia and New York.

If previous Nishio events are any measure, expect long lines and a little gaming with the legend. That said, Vertical staff would like to forewarn fans that while we hope the events will be civil, we cannot guarantee that Mr. Nishio will not unleash Sudoku Hell on inexperienced puzzlers.

May 3, 2010 (Monday), 4:00pm-5:00pm
Location: Barnes & Noble Rittenhouse Square – Downtown, 1805 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA

May 5, 2010 (Wednesday), 6:00pm-7:00pm
Location: Borders – Penn Plaza, 2 Penn Plaza, Manhattan, NY

Deliciously Devious

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

The soul of a puzzle master is a paradox wrapped inside a conundrum. To begin to understand the depths of his logical depravity would be akin to unlocking one of the world’s greatest mysteries. Which is why the latest collection from the God of Paint by Numbers is clearly his most devilish release yet.

Two decades ago Tetsuya Nishio, Japan’s most nefarious riddler, initiated a paradigm shift within the logic gaming field by introducing an artistic element to a world of number placement games. The result was O’Ekaki. These logic puzzles were so self-indulgent they compelled even the most jaded of puzzlers to once again strain over grids to in this case stimulate both sides of the brain.

In his latest release, O’Ekaki Decadence, Master Nishio compiles more than one hundred of his most wicked hand-crafted puzzles, delivering new levels of logic-inspired delirium. With each new puzzle, gamers are treated to new luscious challenges unveiling dozens of iconic images that have shaped our culture, insinuating new levels of puzzling debauchery.

A New Direction for Sudoku

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

Crosswords, mazes, jumbles… So much has changed in the world of logic gaming. Each has had their time to shine. And as an organization full of part-time puzzlers, we dread the day when the sun will eventually set on number placement games like Sudoku. However, with the advent of computer-generated puzzles such a time almost seems inevitable to the avid gamer.

Fortunately the art of puzzle making has not been lost to time. Masters like Tetsuya Nishio continue to slave over grids crafting deviously entertaining games infused with his unique sense of style and logic. And in his most recent release, Sudoku Plus Volume Five, Nishio takes logic gaming to new levels of precision and artistry. Gamers start off with 101 handcrafted Sudoku puzzles, and are then directed to a collection of Nishio’s True Arrow puzzles, each one so painfully pleasant gamers beg for more.

So while no one can accurately foresee the future of your typical number placement series, all signs point to double-happiness for puzzlers who continue to demand more from their Sudoku.

Taking Sudoku to New Heights

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Are you one of the many Americans today suffering from Sudden Sudoku Anxiety? Too much exposure to computer-generated number placement puzzles can leave gamers itching, almost longing for new more challenging variations of their favorite pen and pencil pastime.

Why settle for soulless grids that offer little motivation or stimulation? With his latest release grand master puzzler Tetsuya Nishio dazzles gamers with a collection of skillfully hand-crafted puzzles designed to delight even the most disillusioned puzzler. Inside the inspired cover of Sudoku Plus, Volume Four await 101 Sudoku puzzles followed by ten brand new Skyscraper games that will leave gamers reaching for the stars.

Do You Dare to Cross the Line?

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

At Vertical, our puzzles are made from 100% pure mind mass, not from concentrate. Hand-crafted by the number placement master himself, Tetsuya Nishio’s Sudoku Plus: Volume 3 is the newest in our line of pocket puzzle books. Walk the fine line between fun and frustration, ABCs and 123s, with 101 more sudoku puzzles followed by ten of Nishio’s newly-minted linear logic stumpers: Alconne.

The Sudoku Plus series has been designed to strike the perfect balance between difficulty, price, and portability. Practical and presentable, both commuters and puzzle aficionados alike will get mileage from the variety of problems to solve. Challenge boredom by picking up Sudoku Plus: Volume 3 now.

ABC Easy as 1-2-3

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

Last month, when Vertical unleashed master puzzle crafter Tetsuya Nishio’s latest—and possibly greatest—series of puzzle books, we reveled in the realization that even logic games could be looked at through artistic eyes.  For his newest volume of Sudoku Plus, Japan’s supreme puzzler has devised his most devilish game yet.  And it is completely void of digits one through nine!!

Looking just as smart as they play, each volume of Sudoku Plus contains 101 delightfully devious hand-crafted sudoku puzzles and 10 bonus puzzles bound to twist the realms of logic gaming. Designed with practical puzzlers in mind, our pocket-sized puzzle books have quickly become must-haves for commutes or as gifts. This second volume features another Nishio original: End View, destined to have even veteran puzzlers re-learning their ABCs.

More than a Numbers Game

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

Little has changed in the world of Sudoku since it was introduced to the world thirty years ago as “number placement.” Numbers one through nine would fill out nine-by-nine grids consisting of nine smaller three-by-three grids. No math was needed, as logic alone ruled what was always considered a numbers game. Sadly, throughout those three decades Sudoku’s connection to logic rarely allowed artistic creativity to advance the game from its cold, calculated roots.

Enter Sudoku Plus, the latest, and possibly greatest, number placement series by Japan’s puzzlemaster supreme Tetsuya Nishio.  Packaged in a stylish pocket-sized format, this new line is not only mentally stimulating—these books make puzzlers look just as smart. Inside Volume One, 101 delightfully devious sudoku puzzles are followed by 10 intellectual but artistic O’Ekaki puzzles. Each one of these handcrafted puzzles are designed with practical puzzlers in mind, making them must-haves for commutes or as gifts.

As a puzzled society, it’s about time we moved beyond simple number placement and into a world that demands more… Let Sudoku Plus lead you there today.

Taking Puzzles to a Higher Level

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

Don’t let the title of our latest logic puzzle book fool you. O’Ekaki Heaven, our newest collection from the God of Puzzles, will not be very forgiving. Based on a series of religious motifs, these handcrafted puzzles could turn the toughest of puzzlers to prayer. Buddha, Christ, Ganesha, Orion, and even the God of Puzzles himself, Tetsuya Nishio, make cameos to guide fans towards gaming Nirvana. Even with more than a hundred puzzles to solve Vertical does not guarantee enlightenment, but we do believe at least a few of them will leave you talking in tongues. Via con dios!

The Devil Strolls Into Town!

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Sudoku Hell, the latest and greatest in logic-based torture, is here! Infernal taskmaster Tetsuya Nishio is delivering us into evil with these new puzzles; hours of sinful play to keep us warm from the seemingly never-ending chill this season. His latest installment features all the notorious fun of his other puzzles with some added tricks and twists to keep you pulling your hair out. After you’ve finished torturing yourself with Nishio’s addendum of purgatorial pleasure, be on the lookout for his next surprise, O’Ekaki Heaven, out on the stands April 28th.

Put on your Thinking Caps

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008

The latest in Vertical’s devilishly devious, yet delightful, puzzle books—Extreme Sudoku: New Challenges from the Master and Original O’Ekaki: Intelligent Designs from Its Creator—are on sale now. Oh, sure, you’re thinking, I know Sudoku, and you very well may be familiar with the ubiquitous computer-generated examples plastered throughout the daily newspapers. If you’re lucky, you’ll even work up a yawn when you play them. But Vertical puzzles will have you working up a satisfying sweat, because Vertical puzzles are conceived and designed by the nefarious mind of Japanese puzzle genius Tetsuya Nishio. They are not for the faint of heart. Rather they are for those puzzlers who appreciate a brain-busting challenge. And not only did Nishio create Vertical’s O’Ekaki puzzles, but also he invented the game! O’Ekaki is the entertaining creative logic puzzle that utilizes both the right and left sides of your brain. It’s like Sudoku, but with a pay-off as the answer comes in the form of a cool picture that you’ve uncovered with your pencil… if you completed the puzzle correctly. So escape the brain-numbing ennui of the work day, by exercising your brain with the most challenging and entertaining puzzles available. Only from Vertical, of course!