Clues by Sam
Hacker ApprovedRanked 14 of 45 puzzle games by recommenders
Recommended as a fun, satisfying daily logic puzzle that people play every day, and some happily buy supporter packs.
Recommended as a fun, satisfying daily logic puzzle that people play every day, and some happily buy supporter packs.
17 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 17
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 9 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 17 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 9 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Fun, satisfying daily puzzles
“I love the puzzles, I played once and already got the Pack #1, it's a great game!”
Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2025 – Show and tell” “I loved today's puzzle and will now be a regular user”
Comment from 19 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2025 – Show and tell” “Some of the daily levels are incredibly satisfying.”
Comment from 16 Aug 2026 in “Clues by Sam” - Comment from 19 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2025 – Show and tell”
Played daily as a routine
“I do Clues by Sam every day when I'm walking my dog before I start work”
Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2025 – Show and tell” “I loved today's puzzle and will now be a regular user”
Comment from 19 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2025 – Show and tell” “My daughter and I play it most nights”
Comment from 23 Jun 2026 in “Show HN: Got sick of ads, so I made my own logic puzzle site” Players buy supporter packs
“I love the puzzles, I played once and already got the Pack #1, it's a great game!”
Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2025 – Show and tell” “Love it, I discovered it last week and bought a supporter pack after two days!”
Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2025 – Show and tell” “I love it, just purchased a pack.”
Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2025 – Show and tell”
Other puzzle games people recommend
The four most recommended other puzzle games, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outer Wilds | 65 | 7 | 90% | 9 | — | Approved |
| enclose.horse | 64 | 10 | 86% | 4 | — | Approved |
| The Witness | 60 | 19 | 76% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Braid | 36 | 5 | 88% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Clues by SamThis page | 17 | 0 | 100% | 9 | — | Approved |
What people said
13 of the 18 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I just wish I could make it not look so "Made with AI"”
“Some of the daily levels are incredibly satisfying.”
“the color tags aren't enough to represent everything you need to track”
“My daughter and I play it most nights”
“difficulty scales by day so Monday is easiest”
“It's a great puzzle and one I regularly see people gushing about.”
“I loved today's puzzle and will now be a regular user”
“Really loved it. Well done.”
“I love it, just purchased a pack.”
“I do Clues by Sam every day when I'm walking my dog before I start work”
“I love the puzzles, I played once and already got the Pack #1, it's a great game!”
“Love it, I discovered it last week and bought a supporter pack after two days!”
“The reception has been great, and the revenue has been enough for me to decline some consulting gigs”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.