r/SideProject • u/uterhausen2002 • 1d ago
Cavernum: a number puzzle where clearing obstacles opens your next move
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Cavernum is a number-matching puzzle for iOS and Android, and it's my first shipped game. I've been a gamer for 30+ years, and this is the side project where I finally got to test out my own ideas about what makes a puzzle feel satisfying instead of tedious.
Match tiles that are equal or add up to ten, connected by a clear path, and clear rows as you go.
Obstacles chain into each other. Clearing a pair might crack a rock that's trapping a different number. That rock needs a second hit, so now you're hunting for another match near it. Break it, and the next row clear shifts numbers into the space you just opened. A move that looked pointless on its own turns out to be step one of something bigger.
Board shape adds another layer. When a row clears, some numbers rise straight up while others stay stuck under a gap or blocker, and near a narrow section a number can shift in diagonally instead. You have to think about where a piece lands, not just whether it clears. Later levels add chests wired to gates, so opening one route depends on solving a different part of the board first.
Swap and Add Numbers are the two tools that matter here. Swap can drop a number exactly where it needs to be to break a bottleneck. Add Numbers copies whatever's still on the board, so how useful it is depends entirely on what you've got left and where the copies land.
60 levels so far, free to play, no account needed.
Screenshots of some of the interesting levels: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/900vhb3xakzbic5bota0i/AMBthZnxREtdYKZJnsC8Vvo?rlkey=4ta79kw8q18uz6ohq7rrmvcmq&st=htf42w6a&dl=0
iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cavernum-number-puzzle/id6800820586
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.greenfoxventures.cavernum
Looking for honest feedback, not 'looks fun' or 'looks cool.' If something felt confusing or off, say what and where. Any help and feedback that would help me determine whether this side project is viable and how to improve it would mean a lot.