Killer Clues

About Killer Clues

Killer Clues is a small browser game from Nick's site Blame Nick. Every day it opens one new case: a single sentence, written like a cryptic crossword clue, with the length of the answer in brackets. Somewhere in the wordplay is the killer, which can be a murder weapon, a poison, a cause of death or something stranger.

The answer can hide in several ways. It may be an anagram of some of the words, a word tucked inside the letters of the clue, a double meaning, a word read backwards or a well-known saying. The game's own worked example shows the idea: in "Even omens couldn't save him. (5)", the letters eVEN OMens give VENOM.

You type your accusation into the letter boxes and press Accuse, and you can guess as often as you like. If you are stuck there are three hints in turn: the type of killer, the key words of the clue and the first letter. Solving with no hints earns the rank of Chief Inspector, then Inspector, Sergeant and Constable as hints are used. A case you give up on is marked as gone cold.

A new case opens at midnight wherever you are, and a countdown shows the time to the next one. Your played count, streak and best streak are kept in the browser, with no account. After the daily case you can share your result or challenge a friend, and play community cases written by other players, or write one of your own.

It suits people who like cryptic crosswords but want a single clue rather than a full grid, and it is a gentle way in for anyone learning how cryptic wordplay works, since every answer comes from a short list of killers.

How to play Killer Clues

1. Read today's case: one sentence with the answer's length in brackets.
2. Look for the wordplay: an anagram, a word hidden across the letters, a double meaning, a reversal or a saying.
3. Type the killer you have found into the letter boxes and press Accuse (or Enter). Wrong guesses cost nothing.
4. If you are stuck, take a hint: first the type of killer, then the key words, then the first letter.
5. Solve it to get your rank, from Chief Inspector with no hints down to Constable with three, then share the result.

Screenshots

Tips

• Count the letters first: the number in brackets often points straight at a run of letters hidden across two or three words.
• Every answer is a way to die, so list weapons, poisons and causes of death of the right length and test them against the clue.
• Take the hints in order only when you need them, since each one drops your rank by a step.
• When the day's case is done, the community cases give you more clues to practise on.

Questions