Building Adivina: A daily Latino riddles website
The story and tech behind building a website for daily latino riddles.
I’ve always been a fan of daily word games, but I noticed there weren’t options tailored specifically for Latinos. I initially built this as a side project for myself and my friends to have something fun and culturally relevant to play.
I hope you enjoy playing it as much as I enjoyed building it.
The Concept
Players are presented with a cryptic, single-sentence riddle describing a Latino cultural icon, a childhood snack, or a household object. Some riddles might even be in Spanglish, reflecting how many of us speak.
But there’s a catch: you only have three tries.
If you don’t get it in three, you’re out until the next day and with the timer at the bottom you’ll know exactly when the next riddle drops.
Challenges
One of the hardest parts wasn’t the code, it was the content. Writing riddles that strike the perfect balance between “obvious to a Latino” and “challenging enough to be a game”. I had to iterate on the hints multiple times to ensure they were fair but fun (some riddles were generated by AI, but still edited by me).
The Tech
To make the experience as fast and seamless as possible, I built the game using a modern stack.
I chose Astro because I wanted the site to be blazing fast. Using its “Islands Architecture,” I could ship zero JavaScript for the static parts of the page (like the instructions and header) and only hydrate the React components needed for the actual gameplay.
- React: For the interactive game logic (handling guesses, state, and localStorage).
- Tailwind CSS: For a fast design system with custom styling and responsive layout.
- Shadcn UI: For buiding fast, elegant and accessible components.
What’s Next
I’m constantly listening to feedback and planning new features. Here is what is on the roadmap:
- Leaderboards: Compete with friends and see who has the longest streak.
- Archive: A way to play past riddles you might have missed.
- Login: A way to track your progress and streaks.
¿Ready?
👉 Can you guess today’s riddle? and let me know what you think!