Framed is like Wordle but with movie stills to identify
I'm no Barry Norman
Some friends recently put together a combined list of the top 50 movies of the millennium, of which it seems I've seen just eight. This does not bode well for my chances in Framed, a new Wordle-like puzzle game that challenges you to identify a movie from stills. You can play it in your browser for free.
The rules are simple, and familiar to anyone who has played any of the recent wave of similar games. You've got a limited number of guesses with which to name the film; each incorrect guess reveals a new still and another chance to guess; win or lose, you get some coloured squares to easily share your result; and there is just one film to identify per day.
Thankfully, today's movie wasn't from the past 22 years and I got it in three guesses.
While the various Wordle-inspired games share a lot in common, I do think they sit on a spectrum. At the one end, you've got Wordle, Nerdle, Octordle, all of which feel to me like puzzle games. You likely have the requisite knowledge to solve them but must investigate to find the answer in as few steps as possible.
At the other end you have Heardle, Who Are Ya?, and now Framed, all of which feel more like trivia games than puzzles. If you know the answer, you know the answer. If you don't, the games will reveal more information - the stills in Framed become more useful as they advance - but you're not really puzzling anything out. This feeling of 'Well, I just don't know this film' caused me to give up yesterday, although in retrospect this was a mistake given the final frame contained a sign with the movie's name on it.
(Worldle feels like it sits somewhere in the middle of this spectrum, offering directions and distances to help you feel your way towards identifying a country even when you don't recognise its shape.)
In any case, Framed is fun. It's another way to test your trivia knowledge, to fill up WhatsApp chats with friends, and to distract yourself during work. Play it here.
Looking for more freebies? Check out our list of the best free PC games to play in 2024.
Use our Wordle Solver tool to help you figure out the answer to any Wordle in moments! Just pop your current guesses in the grid and watch the tool instantly give you all the potential answers.