HOW TO FIND YOUR WAY AROUND DAILY THEMED CROSSWORDS | PART II

Old-school newspaper crosswords or a little app on your phone that magically gives you access to hundreds of crosswords in just a tap? If one comes loaded with nostalgia, the other makes it unbelievably accessible and removes the need for writing tools completely. Not convinced yet? Well, that’s where the question of “what else?” comes handy. 

What else can you do with crosswords? A lot more, if you ask us. Every feature on DTC goes through a life cycle of its own. First comes the inception, then comes the endless cycles of refinement and the most important one is the litmus test. Features that emerge on the other side of the test are often those that players immediately react to. Those that make them come back for more every day.

Fantastic Features & Where To Find Them On DTC.

1. Free themed crossword and a mini – Everyday there’s a fresh pair of crossword that gets delivered, a 13×13 sized grid that comes with a theme and a small 5×5 themeless grid that can be an easy start to your day.
2. Mastery Stars – On the top of your home screen, there’s a count of two things, the coins you’ve earned or purchased and the other would be your mastery stars. Now, what are these stars? Every time you complete a puzzle you earn stars. The number of stars depends on your speed. The sooner you solve the more stars you get. The maximum mastery per grid would be three stars.
3. Hints – Now say you started a puzzle but got stuck, there’s more than one type of hint that can come to your rescue. “See Wrong” – This hint is perhaps the most helpful one. It will assist you by turning the wrong letters red. You can activate it before you start the puzzle or during the game. “Show Word” – This enables you to reveal an entire word. It is pretty helpful when you are stuck at a long word. If you want to make the most of it, use it on the longest word possible and thank us later! “+10 Letters” – The magic rain of letters. This clue will reveal 10 random letters on the grid. It is pretty helpful when you are almost done with the puzzle with just a few letters remaining.
4. Frenzy – It is not exactly a clue but a powerup on our regular sized crosswords. Every main puzzle has certain words which on solving correctly will give you additional letter bursts, helping you solve the crossword a little more in every step. Frenzy mode can be activated or switched off anytime you want.
5. Streak – The best way to form a habit is by keeping track of it and the streak does just that for you. We mentioned earlier that two types of crosswords get unlocked every day, similarly, there are two corresponding streaks too. Solving either type of puzzle every day will start a mini streak for you which will earn you a reward after the 7th day and if you solve both for 7 consecutive days, the reward will get bigger and better.
6. Calendar – Now that you know there are two free puzzles that you can access right from the home screen (the first screen that opens on launching the game), you might be wondering what if you want to play more? Well, in that case, you can jump to the calendar screen by tapping on the calendar icon (second one on the bottom navigation bar) and voila! All the crosswords you could wish for, placed as per the date of the release. Start on an unsolved one or replay an old crossword for a small fee.
7. Bonus Puzzles – Not interested in paying to play? We’ve got you covered! Go back to the home screen and check out the section right below the streak to solve the day’s bonus puzzles. A main and a mini for free!
8. Packs – Wait, there’s more! The third icon on the bottom navigation bar is for the pack screen. What is a pack? Every month a pack of 15 mini themed-crosswords is released which can all be accessed from this screen. Harry Potter to Halloween, there’s a pack for every mood!
9. Achievements – When you open the Achievement screen (fourth icon on the bottom nav bar), you will see several titles and the coins you can win through them. Check out the easiest one to achieve and start from there.
10. Blitz – Want something entirely different? Look no further than the Blitz mode. Unlike the traditional crossword, Blitz combines the fun of playing Tetris and solving a crossword in a time-bound setting. Try this speed-testing format and you’ll be waiting for your lives to refill just as eagerly as we do.
11. Weekly Quests – Every week a brand new quest begins, one that comes with a new theme, map, and milestones that you can solve and unlock. The more you solve, the more you earn!