Well, they’ve finally designed a web game that appeals specifically to my interests—and I am thoroughly addicted.
Cine2Nerdle is essentially online chess for cinephiles; two opponents compete to “link” successive films through shared actors, directors, writers, cinematographers, and composers (for example: Heat to Ronin via Robert De Niro, then to Goldeneye via Sean Bean) until one party is finally stumped, thus breaking the chain. There are other mechanics involved that affect the overall difficulty, of course—each “link” can only be utilized thrice before it is exhausted for the remainder of the round, three single-use “lifelines” provide a bit of extra wiggle room, et cetera—but in basic terms, it’s simply an opportunity to flex one’s encyclopedic knowledge of movie trivia.
And I savor the challenge. To say that I'm obsessed would be an egregious understatement; I need this experience—in the same way that I need blood in my veins, air in my lungs, and Coca-Cola in my stomach. This past week alone, I have played enough to develop some rather firm opinions regarding the “advanced” (i.e., cheap, cowardly, dishonorable) strategies commonly employed by users excessively preoccupied with their win/loss ratios. I can reliably circumvent almost every conceivable banned link; I’ve devised dependable escape routes from most of the popular traps and dead ends (e.g., Cocktail, Locke, World’s Greatest Dad). I even know precisely how to punish the disgraceful (and desperate) tactic of repeatedly spamming titles featuring absurdly large ensemble casts (especially Avengers: Endgame).
In short, Cine2Nerdle is the ultimate “just one more rematch” game; indeed, I intentionally prolong volleys for as long as I can possibly sustain them. This habit has ravenously devoured hours of my life. Somebody—anybody—please save me from myself!