The New York Times (NYT), one of the biggest newspapers in the world, is also home to a popular variety of games, with millions playing its puzzle games. On Jan. 21, they released the newest addition to their catalog: a two-player word game called Crossplay.
Unlike other NYT games, such as Wordle or Connections, which are single-player experiences that restrict users to one puzzle a day, Crossplay runs like a real-time competitive match. Two people face off and take turns putting letters on the board, and you’re able to run games simultaneously against different people, keeping the experience fresh and exciting.
“I’ve played Crossplay with a couple of my friends, and although it’s sometimes hard to find good words, it’s pretty relaxing and fun,” said sophomore Cyrus Chow.
Players do need to install the free app in order to be able to challenge friends, face off against different bot difficulties, or match against others with similar skills. An in-game chat is included, allowing competitors to communicate throughout the game. There’s even a premium feature to improve your games: Cross Bot, an AI coach to analyze your games and offer feedback.
“It’s really nice how put-together the app is, for just an NYT game. All the features of the game make it more engaging for me personally, especially being able to chat with your opponents,” said sophomore Alex Wang.
At its core, Crossplay is a reinvention of games like Scrabble and Crossword Hunt. The competitors take turns on a 15×15 board, strategizing to build words to achieve the highest score possible. Players first start with seven letters, randomly selected from a finite tile bag. Once the bag is emptied, a final round is given to both players to finish the game.
During a turn, players have the option to place letters to form a word, or they can swap out letters in their hand. Points are given out based on the difficulty of creating a word (e.g., using the letter E will add one point to the word, but using Z will add ten points. “Rake” would value 9 points). There are also multipliers scattered across the board, such as tripling a letter value or doubling the world value. 40 points are also awarded if all seven letters are used in one round.
Following Crossplay’s release, celebrities are challenging fans to play against them. Grammy-nominated artists Leslie Odom Jr., BRELAND, and Amy Allen are choosing players to go against from Jan.21 to Feb.15. Fans have a rare opportunity to interact with these celebrities by submitting a completed Crossplay board and being selected by one of them. Leslie and BRELAND will also be making appearances in New York City and Nashville, respectively, to meet fans and play the game.
“Getting the chance to play live against a celebrity seems really cool,” said sophomore Vincent Tan. “It’s a rare opportunity to actually interact with someone famous.”
With 33k+ downloads and a 4.8 rating in the app store, Crossplay is a must-try for anyone who enjoys words, puzzles, or friendly competition. The NYT has created an experience that is both fun and challenging, making it an amazing game for anyone who wants to sharpen their vocabulary and have a good time.
