June, 4, 2023 - "Rapid Rise"

[Joe Ross]

June 4, 2023 - "Rapid Rise"

A themed crossword from Evan.

[hcbirker]

Rapid Rise
By Evan Birnholz

[KayW]

Fun solve and theme.

[whimsy]

Coming up right behind you, Kay!

Mohegan Bluffs stairway

A bit trickier for me than usual, but thanks as always to Evan.

[Schmeel]

I solved it. I got stuck a couple of times and I had to put it down and come back to it, but I made it through! Fun theme. I thought the symmetry was a little odd - I don't think I've ever solved a puzzle with mirror symmetry rotated to the side (it must have a name, but I don't know what it is). It was a bit disconcerting and it took me a few minutes to figure out why. I'm still trying to figure out if there was a reason for it from the constructor's viewpoint.
All in all it was a good puzzle and I enjoyed it.

[ebirnholz]

I solved it. I got stuck a couple of times and I had to put it down and come back to it, but I made it through! Fun theme. I thought the symmetry was a little odd - I don't think I've ever solved a puzzle with mirror symmetry rotated to the side (it must have a name, but I don't know what it is). It was a bit disconcerting and it took me a few minutes to figure out why. I'm still trying to figure out if there was a reason for it from the constructor's viewpoint.
All in all it was a good puzzle and I enjoyed it.

It's usually not my first choice, but top-bottom symmetry is something I've often used for puzzles featuring diagonal theme answers, like in "Going Upstairs" from July 2021 or "Split Ends" from Sept. 2018. It's sometimes the only way I can accommodate a revealer that doesn't have a corresponding match, as well as the diagonal words, as well as a grid that has legit entries before and after the diagonals.

Basically, it's just how the grid worked out.