Vertical Inc. News » tetsuya nishio

Numeral Nuance

Vertical — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:00:47 +0000

Most Sudoku collections are little more than a computer-generated way to kill time. Everything from their drag-and-drop covers and their cheap paper stocks to their generic patterns almost reek of something empty and old. So whenever grandmaster puzzler Tetsuya Nishio unleashes a new Sudoku anthology, the difference is realized immediately.

Number Place is Nishio’s latest challenge to the pencil-and-paper puzzling community. After creating a series for the masses with his Sudoku Plus line, Nishio shifted his focus towards Sudoku’s masochists by giving them a new series of mind-numbingly sinister logic puzzles. Released this week, his Number Place: Blue is beyond wicked as it not only collects 100 “hard” to “impossible” Sudoku puzzles, but it also features ten Consecutive Sudoku puzzles, each hand-crafted by the bespectacled fiend himself.

Puzzling Terror in the Homeland

Vertical — Mon, 02 May 2011 19:45:01 +0000

While forces search out terror across the globe, there is a welcome source of anxiety and mental anguish now hitting better bookstores across our nation. Vertical’s puzzle master supreme Tetsuya Nishio has launched a new threat against gamers’ sanity—Number Place: Yellow. Nishio’s latest Sudoku anthology may be his most sinister pocket puzzler yet. As has been his modus operandi, Nishio has once again assembled one-hundred and one handcrafted deadly Sudoku puzzles. But what makes this book unique, and doubly dastardly, are the ten bonus Symmetry puzzles. Symmetry is the master’s latest subtle form of sadism, to be best enjoyed by only the most maniacal logic puzzle enthusiasts.

Cost-effective, portable, and extremely potent, Number Place: Yellow is the hotbed for numeric terror. And it is always accepting new challengers.

The Origins of Sudoku

Vertical — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:15:33 +0000

Decades ago puzzle master Tetsuya Nishio helped pioneer Sudoku in Japan. But back then he used a different name to spread his unique brand of number logic games across Asia. When importing the American game he decided to keep the game’s original name Number Place, a term coined by Dell Magazines in the 1970′s.

Now in the new century Sudoku is bigger than ever, and with Nishio’s star amongst the game’s greats, the master has decided to “re-introduce” Number Place to the West. In his latest, most cunning series yet, the master riddler compiles 101 of his most sadistic Sudoku puzzles. And in an effort to further stimulate and mutilate minds, he provides ten fiendishly fun O’Ekaki puzzles. Presented in a petite trim, with an equally light price point, Number Place: Red beckons the most dedicated American gamers desperately searching for a new home for spicy Sudoku.

Meet the Riddler!

Vertical — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:01:12 +0000

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

Vertical — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 21:47:01 +0000

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

Vertical — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:02:22 +0000

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

Vertical — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:31:42 +0000

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?

Vertical — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:11:12 +0000

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

Vertical — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:58:46 +0000

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

Vertical — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:38:39 +0000

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.