Solution - Disappointment

by Craig Kasper

Answer: Click here to reveal

Attempting to solve the Thermo sudoku puzzles entirely as thermo sudoku puzzles will break down - and in several cases it will break down quickly with a clear contradiction.

The flavortext indicates that a "you are here indicator" may have been painted over, which suggests that one of the thermometers might not be a thermometer, but is an arrow instead. This is indeed the case; one of the thermometers in each puzzle is not a thermometer, but is actually an arrow from Arrow Sudoku. Solving these puzzles as Thermo sudoku puzzles with one (initially unidentified) thermometer actually functioning as an arrow sudoku arrow leads to a unique solution in each case.

In the completed solution of each grid, the thermometer-which-is-actually-an-arrow is pointing at either one or two digits if viewed as an Arrow Sudoku arrow. (The arrow thermometers have been highlighted in yellow below, while the pointed at digits have been highlighted in blue.) Interpreting two pointed at digits as a single number, these arrows yield the number series 19-9-3-11-2-1-25, which translates using the normal equivalency into the word SICKBAY, which is your answer.


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