No, I don't think it wouldn't seem like that to any reasonable person. What makes you say otherwise?

There’s nothing wrong with it. That’s part of the fun of games – feeling smart and accomplished.

But it’s pretty clear and obvious (to a reasonable person) how the game works and you seem to want to just brag about how you’re clearly a better thinker and smarter than the game designer.

It's not clear at all and you can read comments here to find that out.

I don't know the game designer especially but what I actually think is that the system (ie org+people) that produced this puzzle is much smarter than I am. I just don't think the puzzle design is appealing and I gave an impersonal argument to that effect. You have a duty on this side to take comments in good faith. If I give you a factual argument about why I dislike a puzzle you don't just get to accuse me that it's really about intellectual girth.

I think most people who commented here did so to dunk on the puzzle maker because they felt smarter than them and wanted to show it.

What do they (we?) have to say that you'll believe that we just don't like the puzzle for the non-intelligence related reason we stated?

I thought the people who didn’t complain (or who didn’t comment at all) were much smarter.