Faster Loads, Sharper Rival Play, and a New Puzzle Leaderboard

June 16, 2026

Three updates worth sharing: the game loads puzzles faster, rival mode has a smoother end-of-game flow, and the leaderboard now lets you see how you stack up on a single, specific puzzle.

Backend Cleanup = Faster Puzzle Loads

We've cleaned up the database architecture that powers every puzzle load. We'll spare you the tech-speak, but significant clean ups and revisions have provided snappy performance for loading new puzzles, especially for challenges.

Rival Mode: A Clearer Path to the Leaderboard

Previously, finishing a rival challenge left you at the success modal with your score but no obvious next step if you were curious how that score compared globally. Now, if at least two other players have already completed the same puzzle, the modal shows a direct call to action: "See this puzzle's leaderboard →". One click takes you straight to the rankings for that exact puzzle — no hunting through filters.

"Current Puzzle" Tab on the Leaderboard

The leaderboard page has been reorganized. The existing views — Today, Yesterday, and All Time — are now grouped under an "All Puzzles" heading. Alongside them sits a new "Current puzzle" tab. This view shows the standings for one specific puzzle only, sorted highest-to-lowest by score. It activates automatically when you arrive from the rival success modal, or you can browse to it directly from the leaderboard page (you'll see a prompt to complete a puzzle first if nothing is selected).

As always, the puzzle-specific leaderboard respects the game's solution-visibility rules: you only see the full standings for puzzles you've already completed.