What is Clues By Sam?
Clues By Sam presents a 4×5 grid of twenty characters, each identified by a cell code (A1 to D5), a first name, an emoji and an occupation. Every character is either guilty or innocent. The game demands pure logic and forbids guessing: it insists a next step always exists and will not accept a coin‑flip declaration. At least one card starts flipped with its clue visible, giving you an entry point.
How to play Clues By Sam
- Read the whole grid before making a declaration. Each card shows its cell code, name, and occupation. Clues refer to rows and columns by these codes.
- Tap a card to mark it innocent or guilty. A correct declaration flips the card, applies its color, and may reveal a new clue.
- Use corner tags to record your hypotheses. Tap the top-right corner for a quick color tag. Long-press the top of the card to open the full palette, or long-press the bottom to mark the bottom-right corner.
- Six buttons sit around the grid. One side has Clear tags, Inspect, and Show hint; the other has Settings, Play tutorial, and Share scenario.
Why the no-guessing rule matters
The ban on coin flips is actionable information. If you see two equally plausible options, the deduction lies elsewhere on the grid. Look for a constraint you missed rather than picking one and hoping. The game enforces this strictly, comparing it to real‑world justice: you cannot convict someone on a 50/50 intuition.
Reading the feedback
A correct verdict flips the card and shows its color. The game may then note that a new clue has appeared. Corner tags are your own marks, not game feedback, and Clear tags resets them. After you finish, the game compares your speed to other players in tiers (top 1%, 5%, 10%, 25%, 50%) and reports how many others achieved a perfect solve. These figures refresh with each visit and do not appear for the earliest solvers of the day.
Modes
The game offers a Daily grid labeled by difficulty, a Current week row showing Monday through Sunday with past days accessible and future days grayed out, a Tutorial accessible both from the grid buttons and the entry screen, and a Puzzle Pack sold as additional support content announced in the What's new section. The site notes that weekly grids increase in difficulty as the week progresses.
Tips for a cleaner solve
Work with constraints on entire rows and columns before fixating on individual characters. Clues describe structural rules, not just single faces. Translating each statement into a column‑wide or row‑wide constraint advances you faster.
Establish a personal code for corner tags before you start. Without a consistent meaning for each color, the expanded palette only adds confusion.
Check the settings before your first game. The site lets you mute ambient clues visually and switch the color selector side for left‑handed use.
Accessing past grids
Sign in to reach last week's puzzles and save your results history. The line under the current week states this explicitly. Without an account, only the current week remains available.