Cardinal Chains

Cardinal Chains

Daniel Nora · 2021 · Abstract, Minimalist, Logic, Puzzle, Relaxing

PC
Positive88% · 17
Best price
$2.99
lowest tracked $0.98
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Steam
Standard Edition · Steam
$2.99
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About Cardinal Chains


Cardinal Chains is 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 accomplished professional artists
  • Minimalist, elegant design without timers, scores or other hassles - just pure gameplay
  • Several built-in color themes, including colorblind options. Or...
  • ...make your own color themes - right from within the game!
  • Features achievements, cloud saves and quality of life options

What Steam players say

Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.

Recommended Apr 14, 2023
[b]7/10[/b] A simplistic but hard "draw lines through all squares" puzzle game based on numbers. [b]What is it:[/b] A puzzle game where you have to draw a few continuous lines through all the squares, with predetermined starting points, and the restriction that you can only go from one cell to the next if the number you land on is equal to or greater than what's in the current cell. This is all there is to the game, nothing more nothing less, but the levels are well made and kept me interested for many hours. [b]How hard is it:[/b] Moderate. It starts with a few easy levels to introduce the rules of the game, but then all the remaining levels are a mixed bag of easy, moderate, and hard levels. Some seem straightforwards, most take a little bit of trial and error or thinking, but then about every 10 levels I would get stumped for a couple of minutes. [b]How long is it:[/b] 501 levels, which took me about 8 or 9 hours of active playtime to finish. There are two playtime related achievements, one for spending more than 5 minutes on a level (which I think I only did once), and one for reaching 25 hours of playtime, which I had to leave the game running overnight to achieve. [b]Lev…
2 found this helpful
Not recommended Aug 22, 2023
Less is more would be the best description of this game. I like games like this but they usually have 50-100 levels and you must figure out the path and solve puzzles with some new mechanics. Cardinal Chains has 501 levels and the whole time I had a feeling like I was solving the same level. no sense of progression at all. There is no difference between level 123 and 423. The music is ok, there are quality of life features so if you are looking for a puzzle game to play while listening to a podcast than this is a good game because you can turn off your brain and solve 501 levels with no problem. Can't recommend this game.
1 found this helpful
Recommended Jan 10, 2023
Like counting but with headache
1 found this helpful
Recommended Aug 14, 2022
Very nice relaxing puzzle game. The concept is extremely easy; most levels are easy, but some are quite challenging. I would say it's a good mix for a casual game. There are 500 levels, will keep you busy for about 13~14 hours. Graphics and sound effects are excellent. Plays very smooth.
1 found this helpful
Recommended Apr 2, 2026
Fun puzzle concept with overall decent execution. Sure the puzzles aren't crazy difficult, but that's the overall chill vibe of the game. Once you master the mechanics you can cruise through most levels, which is quite enjoyable. Would be cool to see a few more extra-difficult bonus puzzles, but if you really want those, just go try Crossing Chains (the "sequel" to this game), as the difficultly in that game has a much higher cap. Only real complaint is the achievement for spending 25 hours in game, as most players probably won't struggle to finish it in around 10 hours or so. All in all, definitely a good chill puzzle game to work through for a game of the month or something
Recommended Jan 28, 2026
This is a very fun and at times quite challenging puzzle game. It has enough puzzles to keep you entertained for hours.

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