Puzzle #131 - 6x6x6 Sudoku

It's been a long gap between posts! I have a hefty backlog of old puzzles to post here, but the next puzzle due to be posted only existed as a git.io link, and those have stopped working! Inertia meant that I put off re-creating (and re-solving!) this puzzle for a very long time.

One of my favourite types of puzzle is when there are rules which introduce a restriction between a pair of otherwise disjoint grids, such that two puzzles which otherwise do not solve uniquely have a unique combined solution, taking into account the restriction. The UK Sudoku Championship often features such a pair of puzzles as "Linked 6x6 Sudoku", where two 6x6 Sudokus must be solved simultaneously in such a way that corresponding cells in each grid contain different numbers. This puzzle takes that to its logical extreme.

Rules

Place a number from 1 to 6 into each empty cell so that every row, column, and bold-outlined region contains every number exactly once. Cells in the same relative location in two grids must not contain the same number. Additionally, in each grid, one of the following variant rules applies:

Thermo - Numbers placed along a thermometer shape must strictly increase from the bulb to the tip.

Killer The numbers placed in each marked cage must be distinct and sum to the total given in the corner of the cage.

X-Sums A clue outside the grid indicates the sum of the first X numbers placed in the corresponding direction, where X is the first of those numbers.

Sandwich Clues outside the grid indicate the sum of the numbers placed strictly between the 1 and the 6 in the corresponding row or column.

Little Killer  - The numbers on each marked diagonal must sum to the given total.

Arrow - The number placed in a circled cell must be equal to the sum of the numbers on the adjoining arrow.

Difficulty: 5/10



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