Bullpen: Logic Puzzle Game

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Place one bull in every pen, row and column, with none touching, on a new timed board each day.

on apps.apple.com

A Bullpen board split into coloured pens, with bulls placed and dots marking empty squares

Bullpen is an iPhone and iPad logic puzzle in the star battle family: put one bull in every pen, row and column so that no two bulls touch, even diagonally. A Daily Challenge board each day is timed and ranked on Game Center leaderboards, and the game is free with no ads.

About Bullpen: Logic Puzzle Game

Bullpen is a puzzle game by the independent developer David Williames, released on the App Store in February 2025. Its rules will be familiar to players of Star Battle or LinkedIn's Queens: a square grid is split into coloured pens, and you place one bull in each pen, each row and each column, with no two bulls touching, not even at a corner. Hard levels ask for two bulls per pen, row and column.

The Daily Challenge is the shared part. Each day brings a new board for everyone, your solving time goes to Game Center leaderboards, and later updates added percentile badges such as Top 1% or Top 25%, a streak with Hay Bales that protect it if you miss a day, and a calendar for replaying past dailies. Hints work in the daily too, but they recharge slowly and add a 20-second penalty.

Beyond the daily there are thousands of levels, unlocked with stars as you go, and a Battle Arena for real-time races against friends or other players. Pro Mode, an optional purchase (TapSmart's review gives $5), opens all 5,000 levels, Free Play and more statistics, with iCloud sync. The game has no ads and plays without an internet connection.

It suits players who already do Queens or a daily star battle and want a clean, fast version of that puzzle with a daily time to beat.

How to play Bullpen: Logic Puzzle Game

Open the Daily Challenge from the main menu; the timer starts with the board.
Tap a square once to mark it with a dot where a bull cannot go, and again to place a bull.
Put exactly one bull in each coloured pen, each row and each column.
Keep bulls apart: no two may touch, side by side or diagonally.
Finish the board to post your time to the day's leaderboard and keep your streak.

Screenshots

Bullpen level 5 on a phone: a coloured grid with three bulls placed and a timer at the top

Bullpen's Battle Arena: two players race on the same coloured grid

Tips

Start with the smallest pens: a pen of one or two squares often fixes a bull at once.
When a pen lies entirely in one row or column, no other pen can use that line.
Every bull rules out the eight squares around it; dot them straight away.
Hints in the daily cost 20 seconds, so use them only when truly stuck.

Questions

Is Bullpen free?

Yes. It is free with no ads, including the Daily Challenge. Pro Mode is an optional purchase that unlocks all 5,000 levels, Free Play and extra statistics.

Is the Bullpen daily the same for everyone?

Yes. Daily Challenge times are ranked on Game Center leaderboards, and your result shows a percentile badge against other players.

Is Bullpen like Queens?

Yes. The rules are the same kind: one piece per row, column and region, with no two touching.

Does Bullpen need the internet?

No, the store listing says it plays offline.