Most puzzles are thought of as problems to solve. A crossword puzzle asks for missing words. A Sudoku puzzle asks for missing numbers. A jigsaw puzzle asks players to reconstruct an image.
But some of the most interesting puzzles are not about finding missing pieces. They are about discovering hidden information.
A hidden-information game is one in which some part of the game state is concealed from the player. The player cannot directly observe the solution. Instead, they must infer it from evidence.
Examples include:
The challenge is not simply solving a problem. The challenge is discovering what information is missing.
In a traditional puzzle, players often know everything they need to know. The challenge lies in arranging or processing that information correctly.
In a hidden-information puzzle, players face a different problem. They must decide how to acquire information before they can solve the puzzle.
This creates two simultaneous objectives:
The puzzle becomes an investigation.
Consider two questions.
Question A:
What is 17 × 23?
All information is already available. The task is computation.
Question B:
What four-letter word satisfies these clues?
Now information is missing. The task becomes discovery. This distinction is important because discovery introduces uncertainty. And uncertainty creates opportunities for deduction.
One of the most influential hidden-information games ever created is Mastermind. Players attempt to discover a secret code. After each guess, they receive feedback indicating how close they are to the solution.
The feedback does not reveal the answer directly. Instead, it reveals fragments of information. Players must interpret those fragments and build a model of the hidden code.
More information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastermind_(board_game)
This approach has influenced generations of deduction games.
Many games appear to be about words, numbers, colours, or symbols. Underneath, they are actually about information.
Imagine two possible moves. The first reveals almost nothing. The second eliminates half of the remaining possibilities. Even if neither move solves the puzzle, the second move is often far more valuable.
Why? Because information has been gained. The player now understands more about the hidden state than before. This idea sits at the heart of deduction-based game design.
Information theory provides a useful framework for understanding why deduction games are engaging. Information theory studies uncertainty and how uncertainty can be reduced. The field was pioneered by Claude Shannon.
More information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_theory
In puzzle design, information can be viewed as a measurable resource. A good move reduces uncertainty. A poor move reduces uncertainty only slightly. Seen through this lens, solving a puzzle becomes a process of information acquisition. The player gradually transforms uncertainty into knowledge.
Word games can use hidden information in many ways. The hidden information might include:
When feedback is carefully designed, players are encouraged to reason rather than simply guess. The puzzle becomes a process of deduction.
Alphalock is built around hidden-information puzzle design.
Play Alphalock:
https://www.alphalockgame.net/
Players are not merely searching for a word. They are gathering evidence. Each clue contributes information about the hidden solution. Each deduction reduces uncertainty. As knowledge accumulates, possibilities disappear.
The eventual solution emerges from reasoning rather than chance. This places Alphalock within a broader family of hidden-information games that includes Mastermind and other deduction-based puzzle systems.
Many puzzles become less interesting once the underlying pattern is understood. Hidden-information puzzles behave differently.
Because the concealed state changes from puzzle to puzzle, players repeatedly encounter new deduction challenges. The same reasoning skills remain useful. The specific information landscape changes every time.
This creates replayability without requiring entirely new rules.
Players often think they are searching for answers. In reality, they are often searching for information.
Every clue narrows possibilities. Every observation changes the player's model of the puzzle. Every deduction reveals something previously hidden.
Viewed this way, deduction games are not simply puzzles. They are structured systems for exploring uncertainty. And hidden information is the mechanism that makes that exploration possible.
Alphalock:
https://www.alphalockgame.net/
Alphalock Blog:
https://www.alphalockgame.net/blog
Exploring Reinforcement Learning and Information Theory for Alphalock:
ResearchGate Article
Mastermind:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastermind_(board_game)
Information Theory:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_theory