1. Visible state, hidden answer
Wordle, Minesweeper and radar games all show you everything except the one thing you need to guess. Visible context lets the player feel smart; hidden answer keeps the puzzle alive.
2. Forced commitment
One guess per turn. One sweep per move. Commitment makes a guess feel weighty. Take it away and the game becomes scrubbing for the answer.
3. Decay or pressure
Time pressure, fading scope phosphor, fuel running low — anything that punishes indecision without punishing thought. The player should feel time, not fear it.
4. Tight feedback loop
Under 300 ms from input to visible response. Wordle's letter colour, Minesweeper's number, radar's blip — fast enough that the player learns from the result before their attention drifts.
5. Daily seed / shareable result
Wordle's killer feature. One puzzle a day, identical for everyone, with a spoiler-free share format. Radar puzzles work the same way — daily target placement, weekly leaderboard, screenshot-friendly scope at the end.
6. Mastery curve, not difficulty wall
The first few sessions should feel solvable. Mastery comes from pattern recognition, not memorising tricks. Players who quit early rarely come back; players who feel their own improvement become daily users.