n00b.gg

About n00b.gg

n00b.gg shows a frame from a video game hidden behind big pixel blocks and gives you six tries to name it. Each wrong guess makes the picture sharper and unlocks a hint, and behind every miss the game shows a year compass: the release year of your guess with an arrow pointing newer or older, turning yellow when you are within five years. A later hint shows the title as a pattern of blocks, one per letter.

Once per puzzle you can use a pixel lens to bring one small spot of the image into full focus. The FAQ advises aiming it at the interface, such as a health bar, a font or a mini-map, rather than at scenery.

The second daily puzzle uses box art. Because the title is printed on a cover, it works the other way round: the first try shows the whole cover very coarsely, then the view crops in tighter and sharper on one spot.

New puzzles appear at midnight Central European Time. With a free account (sign-in by code, no password) you get the daily puzzles, a streak with freezes, XP, achievements and a daily leaderboard, and the archive lets you play every past daily. Without an account you can try a random demo round, but nothing is saved.

How to play n00b.gg

1. Open n00b.gg and sign in with a free account to play the day's puzzle.
2. Press Start; the timer only runs from then.
3. Type the name of the game you think the pixelated screenshot shows and pick it from the catalogue.
4. After each miss, read the year compass and the new hint, and look at the sharper picture.
5. Use the pixel lens once to see one spot clearly, then solve the cover puzzle the same way.

Tips

• Aim the pixel lens at a HUD corner, a health or ammo bar or a mini-map; the interface gives a game away faster than the scenery.
• Use the year compass to narrow the era before guessing big names.
• The title pattern hint shows the number of words and their lengths, which rules out many sequels.

Questions