Cross Spin Challenges You to Combine Spatial Awareness
with a Vivid Vocabulary to Emerge Victorious
Connoisseurs of the crossword know that it’s a game medium with infinite possibilities. There are as many permutations as there are words in the dictionary, multiplied by several thousand-fold! But with such an enduring pastime, surely there are some fans out there who crave a bit of innovation, like a new spin on an old classic. Or maybe there are some newbies who want a fun and exciting way to bolster their skills and vocabulary. Both camps are in luck!
A newly emergent game manufacturer based in Chicago named JoPat Games has just announced their first disruptive foray into the board game market: Cross Spin! Cross Spin ($24.99 | 2-6 players | ages 8+) is the best kind of game; it’s simple to learn, but still challenging for all levels of players. Even crossword fiends will find themselves on shaky footing at first!
This “easy to learn, hard to master” goldilocks effect is what JoPat Games is all about. Chris Savino, founder of the company and board game guru in his own right, summed up JoPat’s ethos succinctly. “JoPat Games creates easy to learn and fun to play games perfect for any game night with friends or family!” Enough said! If the skyrocketing popularity of word-based phone games and puzzles is any indication, then Cross Spin should be charming its way into family households and friendly game nights in no time.
To start, every player gets a spiral-bound, dry-erase crossword booklet and a marker. Each round, a matching puzzle board is selected by all players, and category cards are flipped and revealed based on the number of word slots present in the puzzle (4 slots, 4 category cards flipped). That’s where the fun begins! Every player must race to solve their mini crossword puzzle. If this sounds like simple competitive cross-wording, hold on, there’s a catch! Not only can any word solution go in any slot, but you can also rotate the board to change the orientation. Have the perfect 5 letter ‘piece of furniture’ and 4 letter ‘fruit’, but can’t make it work on the board? Try giving it a spin to left, right, or upside down. Ah, there we go, now it fits! The only restriction is that whichever direction your board is facing when you finally solve it, each word must read properly like a normal crossword puzzle. No “SDRAWKCAB” words!
Once a player finishes their board, they flip the hourglass, which gives everyone else 20 seconds to get as many words on their board as they can! Points are tallied based on completion. Pick a different puzzle board and new category cards to play a new round. First to 25 points wins! Cross Spin not only demands an expansive vocabulary, but a sharp mind and keen spatial awareness. Juggle several words per category card in your head to always keep your options open. Sometimes being married to your first word idea will dampen your creativity! Try rotating the board and thinking of new words. Who knows, you may find your answer in a flash of inspiration, all from a shift in perspective.
Each spiral-bound booklet includes 10 different crossword puzzles, each with 4 different orientations. This abundance of options combined with 160 different category cards means that replay value is through the roof. You’ll never play the same round twice!
Want to give it a test run first? Visit crossspingame.com and play the Daily Puzzle, which will immediately give you a taste of Cross Spin gameplay! A single-player version of Cross Spin is also available through an app on iOS and android, so you can continue to experience the novelty of multi-directional crosswording. JoPat Games is certain that these bite-size samples will have you craving the main course!
Cross Spin can be found on JoPat Games’ official website and TikTok shop, as well as on Amazon. Take your word games to the next level with Cross Spin!
ABOUT JOPAT GAMES
JoPat Games is a Chicago-based game company dedicated to creating easy-to-learn, fun-to-play games that bring friends and families together. Its first release, Cross Spin, is a fast-paced word game perfect for game night—now available both as a physical board game and as a daily web puzzle/downloadable app for on-the-go play. Learn more at JoPatGames.com.