Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Zach Gage @stfj.net · 5d

we’re three days in on the mini and it’s all bangers. checkout today’s (and all the previous ones) in this thread:

Puzzmo @puzzmo.com · 5d

🏃 Puzzmo Mini Crossword #3: www.puzzmo.com/puzzle/2025-...

Puzzmo Mini Crossword #3 is by brooke. It's a 5x5 grid, and four numbers in the grid are a different color than the other numbers.

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Zach Gage @stfj.net · 7d

thanks man. that is really good to hear! we went through a lot of prototypes around this! it turns out it’s hard to thread the needle of providing both a tutorial series and a great mini for expert players

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Zach Gage @stfj.net · 7d

@puzzmo.com just launched a free mini crossword by Brooke.

🐸 bonus: it's amazing

🍕 double bonus: it will teach you how to solve full-size crosswords

🍔 triple bonus: even if you are a crossword pro you will love this mini, each one is exquisite.

play it ⇢ www.puzzmo.com/puzzle/2025-...

brooke husic @xws.bsky.social · 7d

2 years ago: @stfj.net says puzzmo will never run minis
6 months ago: @orta.io and i brainstorm how i might design a mini that could change zach's mind
today: @puzzmo.com's first mini

join us for 30 days of minis that teach you how to solve crosswords. start here:

www.puzzmo.com/puzzle/2025-...

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Zach Gage @stfj.net · 7d

😂

Zach Gage @stfj.net · 7d

thanks! me neither

Zach Gage @stfj.net · 9d

one thing i’m really proud of with puzzmo is that almost every time someone starts a game, they finish it (80-90%!)

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Zach Gage @stfj.net · 12d

heck yeah i didn’t know we shared that. i have probably played through GQ 50 times. absolute favorite gb game as a kid and still now

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Zach Gage @stfj.net · 15d

doubtless you have already heard, but Bennett Foddy, Gabe Cuzzillo, and Maxi Boch's new game is out today and it's really good. store.steampowered.com/app/1281040/...

Baby Steps on Steam

Play as Nate, an unemployed failson with nothing going for him, until one day he discovers a power he never knew he had… putting one foot in front of the other.

store.steampowered.com

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Zach Gage @stfj.net · 16d

man the last few days of circuits have been firing on all cylinders!

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Reposted by Zach Gage

Eggplant Show @eggplantshow.bsky.social · 20d

On this hallowed launch anniversary of UFO 50, we have some big news to share for those who missed our epic live finale last night!
(VOD here, with an extra :30 of warmup: www.twitch.tv/videos/25690... - to be trimmed and posted as audio soon...)

In order of escalating coolness, news in thread:

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Reposted by Zach Gage

Eggplant Show @eggplantshow.bsky.social · 20d

AND WE’RE LIVE

twitch.tv/eggplantshow

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Zach Gage @stfj.net · 22d

whoa ok actually really cruised through the circuits *today*

puzzmo.com/play/circuit...

@helvetica's finished Circuits #702

Re-imagined mainstays like the daily Crossword Puzzle, modern classics like Really Bad Chess and SpellTower, and even a few brand new puzzles.

puzzmo.com

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Zach Gage @stfj.net · 22d

hahahaha that’s amazing

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Zach Gage @stfj.net · 22d

um holy shit what CMYK is publishing MAGICAL ATHLETE with an updated design by Richard Garfield !??! This is one of the stone cold unpurchasble classics. how the heck did they manage to track down the rights to this???? instant order from me. cc @jessefuchs.bsky.social www.cmyk.games/products/mag...

Magical Athlete

Magical Athlete is a chaotic racing game where anything can happen. Recruit a team of absurd racers—Centaur, Egg, Rocket Scientist—then just roll your die and move that many spaces. Except each racer ...

www.cmyk.games

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Reposted by Zach Gage

Eggplant Show @eggplantshow.bsky.social · 23d

Reminder! We're doing a big LIVE finale show this week!
Guests! News! Exclamation marks!

Eggplant: The Secret Lives of Games Presents: A Year of UFO 50 Finale Eggstravaganza - LIVE!

09/17 at 5:30pm PST @ twitch.tv/eggplantshow

Twitch

Twitch is the world

twitch.tv

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Zach Gage @stfj.net · 23d

really cruised through the circuits today! puzzmo.com/play/circuit...

@helvetica's finished Circuits #701

Re-imagined mainstays like the daily Crossword Puzzle, modern classics like Really Bad Chess and SpellTower, and even a few brand new puzzles.

puzzmo.com

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Zach Gage @stfj.net · Sep 8

Saman just put together a great writeup on what it took to create Circuits Royale and how we did it.

saman @samanbb.bsky.social · Sep 8

We took a month-long break from making daily games to work on a multiplayer competitive word game. Just published a blog post about the design + dev process 👉 blog.puzzmo.com/posts/2025/0...

The Making of Circuits Royale, a Communal Word Game for the Web

We’ve been tossing around ideas for a fast-paced multiplayer variant of a Puzzmo game for a while, and decided the Circuits launch would be a great chance to have a go at it. Circuits Royale, released...

blog.puzzmo.com

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Reposted by Zach Gage

the garden of fainting stars @alltheotherhearts.bsky.social · Sep 1

a screenshot from the web game site puzzmo, displaying the day's typeshift puzzle. the word "buttt" is prominent in the middle row, but is not accepted as an actual answer

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Zach Gage @stfj.net · Sep 2

dude your life is incredible

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Zach Gage @stfj.net · Aug 29

*california local

Zach Gage @stfj.net · Aug 28

big week out here! happy end of summer. y'all

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Zach Gage @stfj.net · Aug 28

Oh yeah and P.S. we also launched a SF local crossword on monday?? @xws.bsky.social is working magic out here. www.sfgate.com/california-m...

California Mini Crossword Puzzle | SFGATE

www.sfgate.com

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Zach Gage @stfj.net · Aug 28

This isn't even mentioning Circuits Royale ( royale.circuitsgame.com ), which so many members of Puzzmo contributed to (both design and building), especially Gary and Saman but also Andrew and more. I'm just so blown away by all the amazing work everyone put in to make Circuits a big launch.

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Zach Gage @stfj.net · Aug 28

They've been working on updated standards, and Brooke proposed some new clue styles that you'll notice if you played Circuits before. Brooke has also been editing on Jacobs new puzzles, and their collaboration has resulted in some of my favorite Circuits to date.

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Zach Gage @stfj.net · Aug 28

It's critical to me that when we license a game that we bring all we can to try and make it shine as brightly as possible. To that end, or editor @xws.bsky.social has been working with Jacob to take his learnings from 400 days of puzzles and combine them with her expertise editing crosswords.

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