Rating The New York Times Mini Games

By Mikaella Tortusa ’25, Features Editor

Connections is The New York Times’ newest word game. The game challenges players to find common themes between words and sort them into four groups of four. Photo courtesy of The New York Times.

With the astronomical rise of Wordle and the long-standing tradition of the Daily Crossword, The New York Times has attained the reputation for having fun, quick and easy daily games. Currently, The New York Times features the following games: Spelling Bee, Wordle, Sudoku, The Crossword, The Mini, Tiles, Vertex, Letter Boxed, Flashback and Connections. Given the official release of Connections out of beta testing and, as an avid daily Wordle player, I set out to play each game (except The Crossword and Suduko) and rated them according to how fun they were.

Spelling Bee

The Spelling Bee is a word game where players construct as many words as they can using pre-selected letters with the caveat of each word having to include the center letter provided in the puzzle. The game is versatile with a variety of words to try, and it is always exhilarating to get a pangram (when every provided letter is used at least once in a word). The constraint of having to use the center letter provides some challenge, but the game’s simple premise makes it relatively easy. I rate Spelling Bee a 4/5.

Wordle

For those unaware, Wordle is a word game where players have six attempts to guess a five letter word with colored tiles indicating whether letters are in the correct position or not. I really like Wordle because it provides easy stimulation for my brain during breakfasts at McEwen. I play exclusively on hard mode to keep things exciting, and I occasionally play Wordle variants such as Quordle, Heardle and Subwaydle. I give Wordle 4/5 for being easy and reliable, though it does get repetitive and boring after a while.

The Mini

I love The Mini crossword so much. It is quick, cute and very satisfying to complete the whole puzzle in a minute or less. It is the perfect size and format, and it is free. The Mini is a 5/5.

Tiles

Tiles is a color and pattern matching game where players are challenged to create the longest possible sequence of tile pairings with matching components. This game hurts and confuses my eyes a little, but I enjoy it a lot. The various colors and patterns add to the challenge, and oftentimes the game is visually appealing. The concept is simple and is probably one of the easiest games on this list. I do not play Tiles often, but I enjoy the game when I do. Tiles is a 4.5/5.

Vertex

Vertex is a puzzle logic game where players are challenged to connect vertices, formulating triangles and creating an image. It is like a fun variation of a coloring game, but the puzzles are limited, and the appeal wears off after all the available puzzles are completed. The idea is fun, but the simplicity of the shapes make the game less visually appealing than Tiles. It would probably be better to get another app with a similar game instead of playing Vertex. It is a 3/5.

Letter Boxed

Letter Boxed challenges players to spell words by connecting letters around a square. Sounds simple, but I think it is one of the more difficult games on this list. I do not know many people who play it, much less daily. Maybe I am bad at Letter Boxed, but I often end up quitting because I get frustrated trying to make the perfect path to beat the game. I am trying to get better at it, but for now it’s a 2/5.

The Mini is a smaller, free version of The New York Times Crossword Puzzle. Photo courtesy of The New York Times.

Flashback

Flashback is a weekly game where players sort eight notable events in chronological order. As a history major, I love this game and wish it were daily instead of weekly because I want to test how much I know. Flashback is relatively easy and is composed of a variety of events. It is simple and fun, but not the most exciting game in the world. Flashback is a 4/5.

Connections

Connections is a word game that challenges players to find themes between words. Players must sort 16 words into four categories of four with each puzzle having exactly one solution. The puzzle is meant to be tricky by having words that could be in multiple categories. Connections recently got released out of Beta testing and is my current obsession. I play the daily Connections, Connections Unlimited and even make my own connections. It is one of the harder games on this list because it utilizes obscurity, plays on words and creates deliberate confusion. Players are only allowed four mistakes, and it is highly frustrating to see “one away” multiple times when you have three out of four words correct. However, completing Connections perfectly is always satisfying, and it is definitely the game I look forward to the most. 5/5.

And those are all the games! I recommend everyone play Connections at least once to try it out, and I encourage people to play Tiles more often as a mindless but mildly entertaining activity. Hamilton students get a New York Times subscription for free, so you will have access to most of the games on this list. Try out these games and let us know what you think!