The New York Times has done it again! A year after acquiring the wildly popular game Wordle, they’ve released another new game, and it’s been quite a hit. It’s called Connections. It hasn’t quite knocked Wordle off the top, but its success has been impressive!
So, how does the game work? Connections is a word association game that gives you a grid of 16 gray boxes, filled with seemingly random words. The goal is to sort these words into groups of 4 based on what they have in common. There are four categories based on difficulty; yellow, green, blue, and purple (listed from easiest to most difficult). The connections aren’t always obvious right away, and sometimes there can be more than 4 words that seem like they would fit in a category. Arguably, the difficulty can be a little subjective since it often depends on the players’ varying knowledge and intuition. You have four lives and when you submit a wrong answer, you lose a life. Make 4 mistakes, and you lose the game. Simple rules, but it can be tricky to complete! Here are a few tips and common categories to keep in mind while puzzling:
- Think outside of the box! Always consider multiple meanings for words, literal and figurative.
- Experiment or use your instincts! Don’t be afraid to play around with the words, grouping them around until something clicks in your mind. Sometimes your instincts may know better than you do!
- Some categories that appear often are:
- Synonyms (words that have similar meanings)Words that can all be found in phrases with another word. Some examples of this are earth, labor, may, and valentines’, which are all holidays that come before the word day (Earth Day, Labor Day, May Day, and Valentines’ Day). Another example is sheep, market, tie, and eye which can all be used with the word black (black sheep, black market, black tie, black eye).
- Homophones (words that all sound like each other but have different spelling)
Of course, there are many categories outside these trends; these are just some basic ones to keep in mind! The game tests bits of knowledge in a wide variety of topics, such as pop culture, famous figures, geographical features and more. Sometimes it can be pretty niche! If you’re reaaaally stuck, there are several websites out there that give hints to the categories without immediately revealing the answers.
The idea for Connections was first suggested during the New York Times’ annual Game Jam, where members of the newspaper’s Games team gather and brainstorm ideas for new puzzles. This idea soon fell into the hands of Wyna Liu, artist and associate puzzle editor of the New York Times. Through brainstorming, spreadsheets, questioning, and testing, Liu focused on making “a mix of categories for the game to feel challenging and satisfying.” Read more about her process here! Connections was first released in its Beta phase on June 12th, 2023, and it has stuck around thanks to its popularity, becoming the second most played game behind Wordle.
However, with this surge of popularity comes controversy. Many critics have noted the game’s similarity to a UK gameshow called Only Connect, in which contestants are given groups of 4 words and must guess the common category. Recently the host, Victoria Coren Mitchell, tweeted to Wyna Liu, “Do you know that this has been a TV show in the UK since 2008?! It’s so similar I guess you must do?” Others have also chimed in their agreement. In a statement sent by the New York Times to Eurogamer, they said “the content of Connections is unique, handcrafted, and has a distinctive style synonymous with New York Times Games,” but the undeniable notes of similarity have led many to question this. Still, it’s likely that at this point, not much will come out of this issue besides audience disagreement. Whether it is a new idea or not, Connections’ success has proven that many find this game concept enjoyable.
Another point of debate with the game is that some argue that it’s too difficult while on the flip side, others complain that it’s too easy! Well reader, would you agree or disagree? If you haven’t already played, then why not see for yourself? Go give it a try at https://www.nytimes.com/games/connections and check out some of NYT’s other awesome word games. It might just become your next puzzling addiction!
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