Has something changed?
Is it just me, or has anyone else been struggling to enjoy the daily crossword puzzle as of late? I’ve been solving daily for over 3 years now and over the past few weeks, I feel like I’ve sensed a noticeable shift in the puzzles that I can’t quite put into words other than saying they’ve personally become far less enjoyable to solve. I’m not finding the “clever” clues to be all that clever, themed puzzles have left me largely unfulfilled (bar the Mario puzzle), and completing a puzzle feels more like a chore than a reward most days.
It very well could just be a case of solving fatigue, but I can’t shake the feeling that something about the puzzles have changed (whether it be editorial decisions, puzzle submissions selection criteria change, or even something like using new software to evaluate puzzles worthy of publication).