New day, new featured favorite clue, and yes, it's a Spoonerism—deal with it! (Credit to @joshuakosman.bsky.social and @hpicciotto.bsky.social and their wonderful weekly Out of Left Field cryptic.)

Song in church that guy heard Most teach math with lots of drilling, so you get the fundamentals in you. No wonder so many hate math! By contrast, Louis Sachar's "Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School" taught with stories. Cryptics should be fun! Parseword #125 ⚡️ 12s 💎 Perfect 🗿 Challenge Mode

Based on my time compared to the community's, it's clear spatial reasoning is my kryptonite; I wish there'd been a way to flip and place as opposed to having to visualize and draw. (Also, missed "including diagonally.") Thinky Dailies 3-2 Mouse On Tour Solved in 7:21 thinkygames.com/dailies/puzz...

Just calling this out for the evening crowd. You like to chat about cryptics? Me too! Find out which clues and constructors get me all excited.

I'm so glad these daily puzzles are back, and I love the pleasant sight of these columns to kick things off with a 1, 2, 3. We internalize a lot of logic, so it's neat to think about how this path MUST play out. Thinky Dailies 3-1 The Journey Begins Solved in 0:44 thinkygames.com/dailies/puzz...

As promised, I'm now coming at you three ways with cryptic discussions: the blog is back (crosswordscholar.wordpress.com/2026/06/01/j...), I'm still streaming (mostly) every Tuesday night at 9:00 Eastern on Twitch, and I'm here each morning recapping daily cryptics. Let's talk!

Arrived with large and small animals A straightforward start to the week. This is what I call a "foothold" clue: all the obvious things pan out. You're indeed looking for [animals], [Arrived], [large], and [small] do exactly as you think. Parseword #124 ⚡️ 12s 💎 Perfect 🗿 Challenge Mode

Is this Starlite Rite in the Lost Catacombs of Path of Exile II simply glitched? I can't see any way to make it show up as "complete" on my Act 1 map.

OK, I'm glad I gave Path of Exile 2 some more time: I still don't really like that I feel locked in to using the weapon that I've chosen (Quarterstaff for the Monk), but I do like all the ways I've been able to augment my weapon (more rare stats, more gem slots) and synergize attacks for it.

Dear McDonald's drive thru: do not condescend to me because I'm asking for a refund when you tell me you don't have frozen coke. Don't take my order if you can't provide what I'm asking for. I can buy a regular coke for less anywhere; I was paying for the novelty.

There's never been a better time to catch up on Think Dailies than right before a new (free) season kicks off!

I blogged about achievements the other day, but I'd add that it's not JUST games that have broken people in this way. I see it with my kids all the time: stickers for this, trophies for that; we're addicted to gamification and the dopamine hit of a reward. Folks, you're good enough without this!

One of my favorite gags in The Remake of The End of The Greatest RPG of All Time is that because you're "loading" into the dev's version of the last level of this RPG, you suddenly have like 20 achievements pop at once for things the game refers to, but which you never did. Neat way to use trophies.

Vintner's stock splits after leader goes from failing to average Hard to input into PW; doesn't help that it looked like you might've made WINE into FINE for [average]. Surface was a bit strange; what does the leader do in a non-cryptic sense? Parseword #123 ⏱️ 1m33s ⭐️ No Assists 🗿 Challenge Mode

Everything that's neat about Path of Exile II is also frustrating: for instance, the way you learn skills is by getting a gem that teaches it. But this also means that you can't just swap weapons (unless it's between your Set I and Set II builds) without first unequipping the associated gems.

As for the whole "Rich people will leave if you tax them" okay why doesn't everybody just tax them? Where are they going to go? Renounce their citizenships and live on islands or boats, okay, they'll get lonely and bored pretty fast.

No idea if it will hold up, but I appreciate that the first level of Bluey's Quest for the Gold Pen actually respects that kids can figure things out!

LEGACY OF THE DARK KNIGHT may be the ultimate Lego game, not just drawing on a single series but nearly every popular iteration of Batman. Read @justinofclark.bsky.social's review.

I gave Path of Exile II a chance since it was a free weekend, but as with Last Epoch, it just doesn't run great on my machine (whereas Diablo IV sings). I don't have a particularly old computer, so I'm just wondering what it is about games like this that cause my PC to chug along?

I'm baffled by Polygon's anticipated games of the summer. Zero indies, three remakes (and a collection), plus a port—oh and four of the games don't even release in summer. Here: - Dark Scrolls - Dimhaven - The Button Effect - Denshattack! - Splatoon Raiders - Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV

If the CEO is aware of the importance of narrative in finding audiences, then he had to know FBC would bomb. You can't make a game that relies on knowledge from another game unless the audience for that game is already massive enough. Even Control fans were let down by how little FBC added.

Cryptic crossword fans: I know it seems like I solve a lot, but I don't have an MC membership and I miss clues all of the time. If you ever come across a clue you really like (for whatever reason), feel free to send it my way by DM, in this thread, whatever. Going to reboot the blog for clues soon!

An element of terrorism following port city disturbance Right ideas, but a few iffy parts. Surface-wise, wouldn't the terrorism *lead* to the disturbance, instead of follow it? And [element of terrorism] seems to vague to indicate a first letter. Parseword #122 ⚡️ 17s 💎 Perfect 🗿 Challenge Mode

I'm not going to refund it, because I hope it improves, but I feel like I've seen everything there is in FINAL SENTENCE after little under an hour. I hope they keep adding a wide range of things to type, and find new modes. Fun setting, just not enough there. store.steampowered.com/app/2413950/...

This guy needs the economic equivalent of Wife Swap, where he has to make it two weeks with someone else's budget and expenses.

Oh, is this what they meant by saying all the creatives are using AI? You're counting someone else's theft of their work as a use case?

Two leaders leave church compound on the beach Very difficult; wasn't expecting to need a synonym, especially that one. I sort of like the use of [church compound], but my picky arbitrary-o-meter is out in full force for the rest. Parseword #121 ⏱️ 2m18s ✅ 1 Assist 🏖️ Secret Found 🗿 Challenge Mode

We have not one but TWO upcoming thinky puzzle games we're publishing! Play the demos now as part of the Cerebral Puzzle Showcase: 👁️ He Who Watches by @danga.games 🟦 Dittori by @blookerstein.bsky.social store.steampowered.com/publisher/dr...

I already think ill of you if you don't clean up after your dog, but if you let your dog shit outside of a daycare and then leave it there, there is a special place in hell for you.

Here's a new release I got a code for but haven't had much time for: THE REMAKE OF THE END OF THE GREATEST RPG OF ALL TIME. It uses the framework of an RPG to craft puzzles split between in-game and "meta-game" scenes (including documentary footage), and it's equal parts fascinating and frustrating.

Risk cuddling jerk in bed This clue's construction remains my kryptonite: a word containing TWO words, one of which is given. Even knowing the synonyms and where the definition would be, I kept whiffing. The surface is nice, by the way. Parseword #120 ⏱️ 4m13s ✅ 3 Assists 🗿 Challenge Mode

Hell yeah!

One thing I'm getting out of the Mina discourse thus far is that there are people who like to choose a slow, powerful, heavy weapon at the start, and then there are all of us impatient other people over here who simply can't be bothered to wait for the right frame of attack.

I mean, Beyond Dreams looks fine, but I was really excited for The Flames of Fate to try something a little different and darker in the Dragon Quest universe. I still find it wild that post-merger, Square-Enix owns the most static franchise in DQ and the most experimental one in Final Fantasy.

Oh man, I'm so stoked to get my hands on Mina the Hollower. I mean, I was excited already and was going to put time into it regardless of what others said, but seeing people call this 2026's Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo (my favorite game of last year) is just icing on the cake.

Huge fan of YOSHI AND THE MYSTERIOUS BOOK over here, and I assure you it's not just because I have two young children (neither of whom is old enough to really play). To me, this is the right balance between single-solution puzzles and sandboxes: a game that wants you to be curious and experiment.

50% off sambar, first-cut dosas, fried appetizers Steve's the person who got me thinking about the culinary possibilities of cryptics, and while I like the consistency of the referenced region, I wish the surface were more than a menu. Parseword #119 ⚡️ 12s 💎 Perfect 😋 Secret Found 🗿 Challenge Mode

Reposting this for the morning crowd. Recommendations always welcome!

This has me thinking about what the longest gap there's been between a game's release and an expansion for it (not counting live service games, obviously). I do not remember how to play The Witcher III at this point, and with so many other new games, I don't know that I'll be returning!

I think Yerba Buena has a really neat concept--capturing momentum and using it to move glitched objects--but the game itself seems somewhat glitchy, having not recorded my progress through Chapter 3 and being frustratingly convoluted as early as Chapter 4. Not sure the Psychonauts vibe is helping!

Okay, I'm insane.

Reminder that I'm starting work on my part of Slant's Best Games of the Year (So Far), so if there's stuff you think I've missed and you've loved, please tell me! I know I need time with: Sol Cesto PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid's Curse Perfect Tides: Station to Station Opus: Prism Peak What else?

Love this take: "Easy is fine, just don't be boring." Should stick that up with some Ted Lasso tape above every developer's pod.

Been a while since I "clicked" with a first-person puzzler, so I'm very much looking forward to seeing if this one can push... my buttons.

Game system found in seven in ten dorms I like the statistical concept, and it's probably accurate, but I have a really high bar for hiddens, and this doesn't clear it. The phrase "seven in ten dorms" sounds like it's awkwardly hiding something. Parseword #118 ⚡️ 28s 💎 Perfect 🗿 Challenge Mode

Okay, but if this image was created with AI, the gallery can't copyright it, and anybody can just take their own picture of it and sell it instead of buying this crap.

Sorry folks, my youngest spiked a fever, so no cryptic stream again tonight.

And this is why people, especially big corporations, love AI. "Oh, a legal loophole through which I can do something and not face the same consequences as if I did it directly?" Such a shame the people in power chose that instead of a world in which we are encouraged to learn and do better.

It very much sounds like I'm going to hate "playing" Blippo+ (but love "watching" it), but if you're on the fence about trying something different, read this take on it. (I'd posit that UFO 50 is the gaming version of this—of learning a culture through its games, rather than its television.)

Going to have to hard disagree (although I get where the writer is coming from). Not every game needs to be a sandbox: it can be satisfying to figure things out under constraints as well. (Remember, I hated what Breath of the Wild did to Zelda games, and Alundra is still my favorite.)