I don’t know about you, but my “new normal” in 2022 is waking up early to dozens of messages from friends–and, sometimes, my own fiancée, who may well still be next to me in bed–boasting about completing Wordle, and a minimum of two spin-offs. Those inimitable color grids now regularly extend to Dordle (double Wordle), Quordle (quadruple Wordle), and Nerdle (math Wordle).
Every time, and however groggy I feel, I’m ensnared by their competitive nature, quickly firing back passive-aggressive outright or perceived “victories” (e.g., if we get the same completion row, we’ll claim a win from the technicality of “more greens”), or crashing and burning in disgrace. And, every time, I consider finding a new alternative through which I can triumph.
This weekend, I’m dedicating myself to two new takes on the biggest casual gaming craze in the world–one completely off-piste musical choice, and another option that may well be the most difficult crossover I’ve yet played–and with this fresh duo, maybe you’ll find another Wordle-like to add to that ever-growing list of must-plays every day.
Heardle
Less a word game and more a music copyright cease and desist letter ready to happen, Heardle sees you listening to a song’s intro in snippets of three seconds, attempting to name the tune with each burst. Incorrect or skipped guesses will result in the next three seconds being added to the audio clip.
While you’re asked to name the artist and song, you’re thankfully assisted by an autofill pop-up, giving you your options so you’re not undone by misspelling “Procol Harum” or “Deceptacon” (these aren’t answers, by the way–at least, not yet).
It’s amazing just how much a song can change between bursts–and how infuriating it can be when it cuts out just before you make the connection, as the song remains on the tip of your… ear, I guess?
Crosswordle
What once may’ve seemed like a pipedream is now a reality, as two word-game juggernauts combine the old and the new to create Crosswordle. Dear god, it’s a cruel mistress, even if it happens to be one of the most thoughtfully designed Wordle alternatives out there right now.
Designed as a sort of hybrid of Wordle and Sudoku, Crosswordle game gives you the final row and colored tiles of a Wordle grid and it’s on you to fill in the remainder–a reverse Wordle. On Ultra-Nightmare. Aside from its daily puzzle–which is also timed, offering a more suitable means of maintaining competition with friends–it also boasts unlimited 3, 4, and 6-row puzzles.
Much like its inspiration, the game was developed by husband and wife team Elynn and Michael, based in New York; the pair, who love to build games together in their free time, found ourselves reverse-engineering Wordle grids that littered their social feeds, and soon had Crosswordle.
Clearly, we’re not done with the source code yet–and on a personal note, if anyone can figure out how to combine Wordle with Scrabble, consider me an early investor.
