When comparing Hexcells Infinite vs Strata, the Slant community recommends Strata for most people. In the question“What are the best Puzzle games on Steam?” Strata is ranked 12th while Hexcells Infinite is ranked 17th. The most important reason people chose Strata is:
The game scales to any resolution so you can have it in a window on the side.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Level generates infinite solvable puzzles
The game has a random level generator to create a near infinite supply of levels, and the built in level solver makes sure that every level is beatable.
Pro Clever twist on minesweeper
Hexcells Infinite is like minesweeper mixed with picross on a hexagon grid with clever layouts and hints to keep the puzzles interesting.
Pro Resizable window
You can change the window dimensions arbitrarily after the game has started which is great if you're playing a game on the side of doing something else. The game board also resizes to fit the height of the window. Only problem is that some HUD elements don't re-position based on the width.
Pro Features challenging handmade puzzles
The game also features a "campaign" mode with different worlds and hand made levels that provide some challenging and interesting puzzles.
Pro Can be solved with pure logic
In games like minesweeper, sometimes you run into a 50/50 chance situation where you have no choice but to guess at the solution. The generator in Hexcells runs every puzzle through a solver to make sure that all puzzles can be solved with logic alone without any guessing or brute forcing a solution.
Pro Ambient noise soundtrack
The music in Hexcells is slow and relaxing for a great zen puzzle session so you can zone out if you're on a break or traveling. The sound effects also procedurally match with the music in tempo, so they aren't distracting, and they actually add to the music.
Pro Layered logic
The clues provided in Hexcells come in a variety of forms. They can be based around number of active cells around an inactive one, the row, or the number of active cells up to two spaces away from an active cell, and all these have potential modifiers on top of it. The game introduces you to the concepts slowly so it isn't too overwhelming, but all the different possible mechanics help keep the puzzles fresh and interesting, and makes you think in more ways than games like minesweeper will.
Pro Supports flexible window resolutions
The game scales to any resolution so you can have it in a window on the side.
Pro Addictive gameplay that steadily increases in difficulty
While the gameplay starts out as being quite straightforward (therefore easing the player into the game), the difficulty does build as one continues to play.
Pro Original design and gameplay
The minimalistic look of the game as well as the way the gameplay works is quite original while still staying intuitive.
Pro 2D minimalistic "weaving" that requires thinking in 3d
While represented in 2D the puzzle solving aspect of the game requires thinking in terms of "levels" as one would while weaving.
Cons
Con Randomly generated levels are not as intricate as main levels
While the randomly generated levels are fun, they are not as involved as the main levels designed by the developer.
Con Too easy if you figure out the pattern
The pattern behind the puzzles isn't the simplest, but if you can figure it out, you can solve any of the puzzles quickly.
Con Includes in app purchases
Strata is an upfront paid game at $2.99 which is why it is disappointing to see that in app purchases later apply.
Con No level generator
Even though the levels could easily be automatically generated, there is no level generator.
Con Short
The game can be beaten in about six and a half hours, which is really not all that long for a PC game. Of course originally this was a mobile phone game, which shows its roots in the length.