Animecction › How to play
How to play Animecction
Animecction is a free daily puzzle about anime characters. The board shows sixteen portraits and hides four groups of four that have something in common.
The rules
- Tap four characters you think belong together, then press Submit.
- If all four share the group's connection, the group is solved and its name is revealed.
- If not, you lose one of your 4 lives, and the game tells you how many of the four go together: 2 coincidences, 3 coincidences or No coincidences.
- Find all four groups before your lives run out. Guessing the same four twice doesn't cost anything.
What a group can be
A connection can be a show (Naruto, Bleach), the magazine its manga ran in, the studio that animated it, the decade it began, a voice actor, a look (pink hair, an eyepatch), a role (ninjas, detectives), a power or a quirk (always hungry). Many characters fit more than one group on purpose, but only one split of the board works, so read the whole board before your first guess. See every anime and character in the game.
Colors and difficulty
Each solved group takes a color that ranks it among the four on the board: yellow is the most straightforward, then green, blue and purple, the trickiest one.
Normal, Hard and Hard+
Every day there are three puzzles. Normal uses famous characters and clear connections; Hard and Hard+ reach for lesser-known characters, studios and voice actors. Each keeps its own progress, and only Normal counts toward your day streak.
Daily puzzle, archive and Unlimited
A new puzzle unlocks at midnight, your local time, and everyone gets the same board on the same date. The calendar replays any past day (those don't count toward the streak). For more, Unlimited deals endless random boards in all three difficulties, with its own win streak and a link to share each board.
Accounts and leaderboards
Everything is saved on your device, no sign-up needed. If you want, sign in with a six-digit code sent to your email — no password — to keep your puzzles and streak on every device and to appear on the leaderboards of each Daily and of the longest Unlimited win streak, with a name and a character portrait of your choice.
Frequently asked questions
What is Animecction?
A free daily puzzle about anime characters. Sixteen portraits, four hidden connections — a show, a studio, a magazine, a look or a quirk. Only one way of splitting the board works.
Is Animecction like the Connections game?
It's the same kind of puzzle as The New York Times' Connections, played with anime characters instead of words. Animecction is an independent fan game, not affiliated with The New York Times.
Which anime are in it?
520 characters from 63 anime and films, from Naruto, One Piece and Dragon Ball to Studio Ghibli. The characters page lists them all.
When is there a new puzzle?
Every day at midnight, your local time. Everyone gets the same board on the same date, and the calendar lets you replay any past day.
How many mistakes can I make?
4. After each wrong guess, the game tells you how many of your four picks belong together.
What do the colors mean?
They rank the groups on the board by difficulty: yellow is the most straightforward, then green, blue and purple, the trickiest.
What are Normal, Hard and Hard+?
Three separate daily puzzles. Normal uses famous characters and clear connections; Hard and Hard+ go deeper, with lesser-known characters, studios and voice actors. Only Normal counts toward your day streak.
Can I play more than one puzzle a day?
Yes: Unlimited deals endless random boards in all three difficulties. It keeps its own stats and win streak, and each board has a link you can send to a friend.
Do I need an account?
No. The game saves your progress on your device. An optional free account (just an email code, no password) keeps your puzzles and streak on every device and puts you on the leaderboards.
Is it free?
Yes, free to play in the browser on any phone, tablet or computer, with nothing to install.
Ideas for a group, or a character that's in the wrong place? Write to jhonathan.barreiro@gmail.com.