(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
In this Sudoku variation, some special “slingshot” cells show how far one number above/below the cell is slung to the left/right in the next row. Can you follow all the leaps of logic?

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Author/Opus: This is the 65th puzzle from Clover, part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) team.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules (Insert a number from 1 to 9 into each cell so that no number repeats in any row, column, or bold region). Also, there are some “slingshot” cells marked in the grid with a circle and arrow. The circle indicates an adjacent cell whose value will be slingshot in the direction of the arrow. The number in the slingshot cell indicates how many cells away that circled cell’s value lands in the arrow’s direction. (For example, if a 4 is in R2C2 (the slingshot cell), and if the value in R1C2 pointed at by the circle is 3, then there would be another 3 four steps to the right of the slingshot in R2C6.)

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 7:30; One party hat (🥳): 14:00. All other solvers earn a 🦕: perceptive Pelorosaurus.

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 3:12, with Penpa Plus replay this time.

Solution: PDF; solving video with explanation to be added later from GAS team.

Note: Follow this link for other less common variations of Sudoku.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our Daily GAS discussion post on the GMPuzzles Discord. Not a member of the Discord? Click this link for basic access.