The NYT Connections game requires an account and an internet connection. I wanted a version I could play offline on my phone, built with puzzles I actually curated myself. This is that version. It started as a sideloaded Android APK and now lives in the games hub.
The Problem
Word grouping games (Connections, Semantle) are good. The ad friction, account requirements, and internet dependency are not. There’s no ad-free, offline-capable version with puzzles you trust because you wrote them yourself.
What It Is
A 4x4 semantic grouping game with 365 static curated puzzles, one for each day of the year. The daily puzzle changes at midnight UTC. It runs in the games hub at games.wanessalabs.com, with no account and no tracking.
The premium dark aesthetic uses glassmorphism and Framer Motion animations. This one is my “am I actually a designer?” test. The mechanic is simple enough that the entire quality of the game lives in how it looks and how the puzzles are written. Nowhere to hide.
Features
- 4x4 grid with 4 semantic categories to find
- 365-puzzle static bank, curated
- Daily mode with streak persistence
- Error counter tracks wrong guesses per session
- Shake animation on error, pop animation on correct group
- Offline-capable, no server dependency
Stack
| Tool | Role |
|---|---|
| React + TypeScript | Game UI and state |
| Tailwind | Styling with glassmorphism |
| Framer Motion | Animations |
| localStorage | Streak and progress persistence |