A strange little side quest
The Evil Wizard Tower of Time may feel immediate, but the ideas around puzzles have been evolving for a very long time. Arthur Wynne published a diamond-shaped 'Word-Cross' in the New York World on December 21, 1913; the name later shifted to 'Cross-Word' and then 'crossword'. That old idea kept changing rather than disappearing. Early computer role-playing games helped turn rules, inventories, exploration and character progression into systems that could support long-form digital adventures. The screen is modern; the urge to test skill, pattern and timing definitely is not.
