🧩 Three Brand New Puzzles!

Dear Reader, 

You’re reading the monthly newsletter from Amuse Labs, covering the world of puzzles, publishing, and updates to PuzzleMe™, the most advanced digital platform for smart games. 

LA Times Launches Midi Crossword by Bart Gold

The Los Angeles Times has added a new Midi crossword to its lineup of puzzles. The crossword is handcrafted by Los-Angeles based constructor Bart Gold. The new Midi is behind a login-wall, enabling LA Times to collect email addresses and build a deeper connection with solvers.

For the launch, we spoke with Gold to understand his approach to creating Midi crosswords for LA Times. “There will definitely be nods to Los Angeles. I’ve lived here for 30 years now.” Gold said, “I’m also a media omnivore—film, TV, podcasts—and I love giving nods to those.” Read the full interview here for insights into Gold’s crossword journey and what you can expect from the LA Times Midi.

LinkedIn Goes All In On Puzzles with Patches

Exactly one year after LinkedIn released its last game, Zip, it has launched a new logic puzzle called Patches. The puzzle has a grid with shapes and numbers. Solvers create shapes according to the given rules till the grid is entirely covered. It’s meant to be a quick solve.

In an announcement post, the company said games have had an outsized impact on engagement for LinkedIn:

LinkedIn has clearly cracked the code when it comes to using puzzles for audience engagement. If you would like to engage your audience using puzzles, talk to us today.

Wordle Creator’s New Game Is A Bite-Sized Cryptic

Have you ever wished you could solve cryptic clues, but get intimidated by a large grid full of them? Wordle creator Josh Wardle is here to help with his new game Parseword. This is a daily puzzle that presents a cryptic clue that you have to decrypt, but by clicking around and dragging words together instead of typing.

Parseword has a tutorial mode, which makes it easy for beginners to learn how cryptic clues work. You can even solve the daily Parseword in Learn mode to get a little extra help. This is a fun new game that lowers the barrier to entry into the world of Cryptics and gives you the joy of the aha moment when you finally figure it out.

From the Crossworld

PuzzleMe Spotlight

A selection of updates from PuzzleMe, the most advanced digital platform for word and logic games

1. ICYMI: Cross-Check for Crosswords

Crossword clues follow many well-known conventions, and breaking them can frustrate solvers. To help crossword constructors write better clues, PuzzleMe now has a Cross-Check feature which checks your grid and clues for common errors. Whether the error is factual, grammatical or simply going against crossword norms, Cross-Check will flag them.

For example, if you clue the word SCORED as “Make a goal”, Cross-Check can point out that there’s a tense mismatch between the clue and answer. Or if the clue for the word DOGS is “A loyal pet”, Cross-Check can point out that the answer is plural while the clue is singular. We hope that Cross-Check can empower more people to create flawless crosswords.

2. Use PuzzleMe in Zoom Meetings

Interactive gameplay has officially arrived in your virtual meetings. The new PuzzleMe for Zoom app allows meeting hosts to launch collaborative puzzles directly within the Zoom interface. Whether you are a corporate trainer looking to reinforce learning or an HR lead conducting a weekly sync, this integration brings the full power of PuzzleMe to your meetings.

Hosts can monitor live progress as participants solve together, and once the session ends, a global leaderboard instantly sparks friendly competition by ranking players by time or score. With privacy-respecting controls and easy data export for reporting, PuzzleMe for Zoom is the ultimate tool for people looking to foster community in a digital-first environment

3. Celebrate with Completion Animations

Solving a puzzle is a moment of triumph, and you can make it even more satisfying with PuzzleMe’s completion animations. When you enable this feature, players who successfully finish a puzzle will be rewarded with a burst of confetti, sparkles, or other fun effects.

This feature is designed to enhance the user experience and add a touch of delight to your puzzles. It’s a small detail that can make a big difference in how rewarding your games feel. Head over to Messaging > Visual Messaging while creating a game to choose a completion animation.

About Us

Amuse Labs is the creator of PuzzleMe™, the leading digital platform for Smart Games. It is a B2B SaaS company trusted globally by brands and publishers, powering Crosswords, Sudokus, Jigsaws, Quizzes, Word Searches and more. Explore opportunities to partner by sending a note or applying if you’d like to work with us!