Bracket City could be your latest word game obsession

Millions of us got into Wordle over the last few years and while there have been many clones of that game, other developers went in a slightly different direction and found success, as The New York Times did with the excellent Connections. Another game that has been doing the rounds for a couple of months has a new home, as The Atlantic becomes the latest publisher to get in on the daily puzzle trend.

Starting Tuesday, you can play Bracket City on the magazine's website. Ben Gross, an independent game designer who created the game, will continue to work on it alongside The Atlantic's director of games, Caleb Madison.

The aim of Bracket City is to solve a nested series of clues to reveal a fact about that given day in history. You have to solve the clues in order, but if you figure out an answer at a higher level, you can use that to work your way backwards and help you get to the solution. There's a tutorial to help you get started.

A screenshot of Bracket City, containing nested, highlighted clues that reveal a fact of the day when solved.
The Atlantic

Tuesday's fact of the day is 10 words long, while Monday's was only six words, but revealing each meant solving 17 clues first. The clues include cryptic hints, fill-in-the-blank idioms and general knowledge teasers. Clicking on a hint will reveal the first letter of its answer. There's also a hard mode in which you don't have to press enter to submit a guess but "every keystroke counts."

You'll earn a city-based rank depending on how well you did, such as Commuter or Mayor, while completing a puzzle perfectly will see you earn the title of Kingmaker. Every previous edition of the game is available in a free archive, which you can access by clicking on the date.

I've only been playing Bracket City for half an hour but I'm already obsessed. It tickles my brain in a similar way to Connections. It's less about guessing letters to find the right word and more about general knowledge and wordplay. Bracket City is already a winner in my book, and it's an instant addition to my rotation of once-a-day puzzle games.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/bracket-city-could-be-your-latest-word-game-obsession-151405964.html?src=rss https://www.engadget.com/gaming/bracket-city-could-be-your-latest-word-game-obsession-151405964.html?src=rss
Created 1mo | Apr 8, 2025, 4:10:09 PM


Login to add comment

Other posts in this group

AMD's Ryzen Threadripper 9000 chips have up to 96 cores, just like the last bunch

Not many people need a 96-core processor. But for creative professionals, engineers and AI developers who do, AMD has a new batch of chips on display at Computex 2025. The company announced its new

May 21, 2025, 4:10:11 AM | Engadget
AMD unveils Radeon RX 9060 XT at Computex 2025

AMD has unveiled its 9060 XT GPU at Computex 2025. The midrange GPU will be the clear competitor to

May 21, 2025, 4:10:10 AM | Engadget
Solar trade association warns of 'devastating energy shortages' if incentives are cut

The Solar Energy Industries Association released an

May 20, 2025, 11:30:11 PM | Engadget
Google XR glasses hands-on: Lightweight but with a limited field of view

One of the biggest reveals of Google I/O was that the company is officially back in the mixed reality game with its own

May 20, 2025, 11:30:09 PM | Engadget
Fortnite is finally back in the US App Store

Fortnite is

May 20, 2025, 11:30:08 PM | Engadget
Our favorite budget streaming stick drops to only $20 for Memorial Day

The popular Amazon Fire Stick HD

May 20, 2025, 9:10:20 PM | Engadget