Steel Crossword: read the clue, hammer the word in

About Steel Crossword

Bruto Vale hauled a steel plate into the junkyard, leaned it on a tire stack and punched a crossword into it. Tap a square and the whole word lights up; the clue shows in the bar up top (number, direction and letter count); you type on the metal keys — or on your computer keyboard — and when the word comes out right, Bruto swings the hammer: the letters lock in, sparks fly, and they never come out again. Got it wrong? Nothing happens: the word just doesn't lock, so erase and try again. Eight plates, in pairs that keep growing: toolbox and junkyard (7×7), on the road and the Steel Flames world (9×9), kitchen and animals (11×11), downtown and a steel mix (13×13). The clues are newspaper-style — straight definitions, the occasional pun — with a pinch of franchise lore that anyone can still solve. Three hints: CHECK marks wrong letters in red (−50 points), REVEAL hammers in the letter of the current square (−100) and SKIP jumps to the next word with an empty square (free). Each plate saves your progress on the device. Points per locked word, worth more on the big plates, plus a time bonus for finishing fast, all headed for the site's TOP 5. No lives, no losing: hammer until the last letter.

In Selminha's words

“Crosswords are a newsstand-and-waiting-room thing, and that is exactly the pace I wanted: read the clue, think, lock it in. I just swapped the paper for a steel plate and called Bruto in to swing the hammer — a right answer throws sparks. And every language gets its own plates, because a crossword can't be translated.”

How to play Steel Crossword, and tips for finishing faster

1. In the gallery, tap a plate (or click it). If you've already started that plate, the game asks whether to pick up where you left off or start over.
2. Tap a square to light up its word; tap the same square again to switch between across and down. The clue for the lit word shows in the bar above the plate, with its number, direction and letter count; the ◀ ▶ arrows move to the previous or next word.
3. Type the letters on the metal keys (on a computer, just use your keyboard). When the word comes out right it locks in for good; if it didn't lock, a letter is wrong — erase and try again. On a computer: arrow keys move around the plate, Tab jumps to the next word, Space switches direction, Backspace erases.
4. Hints: CHECK marks the wrong letters on the plate in red (−50 points); REVEAL hammers in the letter of the square you are on (−100; revealed letters score nothing); SKIP jumps to the next word with an empty square, at no cost.
5. Each locked word is worth its letters × (4 + 4 × plate number): the first plate pays 8 per letter, the eighth pays 36. Finishing fast earns a time bonus. When the last word locks in, your score goes to the site's Top 5.
6. P or Esc pauses; M toggles sound; F toggles full screen on a computer. There are no lives: the game ends when the last word locks in.

How the plate works

The squares

Light squares take a letter; dark squares are steel. The number in the corner marks where a word starts, across or down.

The clue

Tap a square and the whole word lights up; the bar up top shows the number, the direction, the letter count and the clue.

Locking in

When every letter of the word is right, Bruto swings the hammer: the word locks in and throws sparks. Letters of locked words can't be erased.

Eight plates

7×7 (toolbox, junkyard), 9×9 (on the road, Steel Flames), 11×11 (kitchen, animals) and 13×13 (downtown, steel mix). All open from the start.

Hints

CHECK (−50) marks wrong letters in red; REVEAL (−100) hammers in the letter of the current square; SKIP (free) jumps to the next word with an empty square.

Progress

Each plate remembers where you stopped, on this device. Close it and come back later.

Every language has its own plates, written in that language — the English ones are not translations.

Controls on phone and computer

Computer

Tap or click a square to light up its word (tap the same square again to switch direction) · letters on the keyboard · ← ↑ → ↓ move around the plate · Tab next word · Space switches direction · Backspace erases · P or Esc pauses · M sound · F full screen.

Touch

Portrait and full screen on phones. Tap a square and type on the game's own metal keys (the phone keyboard never pops up). Hints below the plate; pause and sound in the top-right corner.

Scoring and leaderboard

Points per word

Letters × (4 + 4 × plate number): from 8 per letter on the first plate to 36 on the eighth.

Time bonus

Finishing under the target time (12 seconds per letter) earns a bonus, bigger on the large plates.

Hints

CHECK costs 50 and REVEAL costs 100; revealed letters score nothing and shrink the time bonus (reveal everything and the bonus is zero); the score never goes below zero.

Top 5

Your score is posted to the site's leaderboard with the plate, the grid size, the time and how many hints you used.

Languages

Portuguese, English and Spanish — and each language has its own crosswords, written in it, because a crossword can't be translated.

The best score for each plate is marked in the gallery.