Technologies

A Murderer Is Among Us in Square Enix’s Killer Inn

In a Killer Inn hands-on preview, I lied, cheated and fought my way through the new murder mystery game.

Announced during this year’s Summer Game Fest, Square Enix’s next game is a little different from its RPG hits. Killer Inn is an upcoming murder mystery that pits 24 players against each other in a game of deception. I went hands-on with the title for a couple of hours before the launch of its closed beta, which is releasing Friday.

The game is very reminiscent of the breakout pandemic hit Among Us, with players performing mundane tasks as they try to avoid getting murdered. Two teams consisting of 18 Lambs (prey) and six Wolves (predators) will be set loose on the grounds of a large and labyrinthian mansion.

The Wolves know the allegiance of everyone and their goal is to eliminate every Lamb before the timer runs out. Lambs are left clueless of who is friend or foe and must be cautious when encountering another player. The Lambs win by either eliminating all six Wolves or by escaping the island during the endgame phase (more on that later).

But players won’t be idly waiting to hunt or be hunted. The game’s core loop involves all players receiving short quests from the in-game NPCs. These NPCs are usually merchants who also sell useful items such as health recovery, crowbars (to access certain rooms/boxes), weapons/armor, etc.

The quests are pretty mundane and often require you to follow a glowing trail (like a waypoint in a driving game) until you come across a key. These keys can then be traded into various glowing chests around the map to unlock random items. Chests can either be random or specific to a certain type, such as assassin (traps), armor, weapon, etc.

A lot of these quests feel like busywork to power up your character so you have more of a fighting chance against attackers. At the same time, Wolves are also doing the same quests to get better weapons and traps to use against other players.

It’s still early for Killer Inn but I didn’t find any of these quests to be particularly engaging. Apart from the odd match-these-shapes or a shooting mini game, the quests are extremely low stakes and uninteresting. This might also be because we played on the one map for the entire preview so I got pretty used to the same scenarios and obstacles. The game is early so hopefully Square Enix has more maps and challenges to come.

Killer Inn gets a lot better when you encounter another player. It features proximity voice chat so you’re able to talk to your friend/foe when close to one another to try to find out their intentions. This is a great feature because it allows you to hold secret conversations away from others. Keep in mind, I was in a preview event where everyone was trying to have a good time, so people may have been engaging in better faith than your average online match. Voice chat with random public people on the internet can be a crapshoot so your mileage may vary.

When a Wolf kills a Lamb, everyone gets a notification on their screen and a waypoint to locate the corpse. A corpse always leaves two clues to the killer’s identity. In my preview it was often a piece of colored fabric or hair that corresponded to a few players each. Collecting enough of these will help you narrow down who might be a Wolf. If the Wolf is fast enough to mess with the corpse after a kill, they can remove one of the clues, letting the Lambs only find a single one. There are also single-use items in the game that can help each side hide or find more when searching a body.

To make things more interesting, the Lambs can’t simply start killing random players, hoping they get lucky and eliminate a Wolf. If a Lamb kills another Lamb, the mistaken killer will also be eliminated from the game. This means you really need to collect clues and watch how players are reacting before taking your, sometimes literal, shot.

When the game timer nears the end, the game switches into its end state where the Lambs must head to a huge ship to board and hopefully escape. There are six anchors locking the ship in place and they must slowly lift each one before winning. It’s a slow process that really makes you sweat because it leaves you in quite a vulnerable position. This is the Wolves’ last chance to win and luckily it puts a lot of the Lambs in one smaller area. However, it also means a lot of eyes will be watching.

In my previews this is where the largest gun fights broke out because each team was making a last-ditch effort to win. In fact, most of the murders I came across were pretty standard stabbings or shootings. I’m sure in future games, when the players have more experience, I’ll see a lot more stealth attacks and traps being laid for more intricate eliminations. There’s a lot to learn from Killer Inn and it will definitely take a few rounds before you even begin to get a grasp of when to strike and when to blend in.

I found playing as a Lamb to be a lot easier. Having a larger team of players working together to discover the enemy allowed the pressure to be shared. As a Wolf, you’re juggling a lot and trying to play both sides. In fact, during the three games I played, the Lambs won every time. I’m curious if this will remain as the game matures or will being a Wolf just require more experience with the game to succeed.

Much like the board game Werewolf, classic card game Mafia, or Among Us, Killer Inn is best played with a group of people who are all in character and really leaning into the deceptive nature of the game. You have the option of turning voice chat off but you’d be missing out on the most interesting part of the game: the lying.

While the social guessing game is Killer Inn’s greatest strength, its humdrum quests are its biggest weakness, and I came away from it a little skeptical of its long term replayability. I enjoyed my time but am unsure if I could see myself coming back for more of those boring quests. I would love to see more interesting challenges that force players into unique scenarios where staying hidden or breaking character means life or death.

Killer Inn’s closed beta goes live on Friday, July 25, on PC and currently has no final release date.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Nov. 13, #416

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Nov. 13, No. 416.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a bit of a stumper. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Think zebras.

Green group hint: Lights, camera, play ball!

Blue group hint: Not one or two points.

Purple group hint: A male duck.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Things a football referee carries.

Green group: Baseball movies, with «The.»

Blue group: Feats worth three points/goals in different sports.

Purple group: Drake ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is things a football referee carries. The four answers are bean bag, coin, flag and whistle.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is baseball movies, with «The.» The four answers are Natural, Pride of the Yankees, Rookie and Sandlot.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is feats worth three points/goals in different sports. The four answers are field goal, half-court shot, hat trick and ringer.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is Drake ____. The four answers are Baldwin, Bulldogs, London and Maye.

Toughest Connections: Sports Edition categories

The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle can be tough, but it really depends on which sports you know the most about. My husband aces anything having to do with Formula 1, my best friend is a hockey buff, and I can answer any question about Minnesota teams.

That said, it’s hard to pick the toughest Connections categories, but here are some I found exceptionally mind-blowing recently.

#1: Series A Clubs, Jan. 11. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.

#2: WNBA MVPs, Jan. 21. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.

#3: Premier League team nicknames, Jan. 17. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.

#4: Homophones of NBA player names, Jan. 26. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.

Technologies

The Galaxy Watch 8 Is on Sale for $250 and It’s Hard to Resist

With advanced health tools and a sleek design, the Galaxy Watch 8 is an excellent value at this price.

The holiday season is the perfect time to upgrade your tech, and a smartwatch that supports your fitness goals and schedule might be at the top of your list. This Woot deal gives you the perfect opportunity to grab one of our favorite Samsung smartwatches for a steal right before Black Friday rolls in.

Right now, you can snag the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 for $250 at Woot — but only until Nov. 15. That’s down from its $330 list price, saving you $80. You’ll also find the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic down to $330. Both models are marked as new and come with a 90-day limited warranty from Woot. With the Galaxy Watch Ultra already sold out, stock is likely to run out quickly, so shop sooner rather than later.

Samsung’s latest smartwatch packs serious hardware upgrades. It has a vibrant 46mm AMOLED display that shines up to 3,000 nits, along with 2GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, built-in GPS and advanced fitness tools, including sleep coaching and vascular load monitoring. It’s also waterproof up to 50 meters and lasts up to 30 hours on a single charge.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

CNET expert Vanessa Hand Orellana praised its refined design, detailed health insights and Gemini AI support, noting that it «has nearly every feature I could hope for.» Just remember, some tools work best when paired with the Samsung Galaxy phone.

If you love saving a few extra bucks as much as we do, check out our roundup of the best early Black Friday deals and the best smartwatches.

SMARTWATCH DEALS OF THE WEEK

Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS, 46mm, Ink Sports Loop):

$359 (save $70)
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 (40mm, Bluetooth, Graphite Band):

$330 (save $20)
Amazfit Balance GPS Smartwatch (Black):

$140 (save $60)
Google Pixel Watch 3 (41mm, Wi-Fi, Matte Black, Obsidian Band):

$202 (save $49)
Amazfit Active 42mm Smartwatch With 14 Day Battery Life (Black):

$75 (save $35)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 packs serious upgrades for the price. With advanced fitness tools, sleep coaching and daily energy tracking, it’s one of the most feature‑rich smartwatches this year. The $250 price represents a new low for the model during the Black Friday season and includes a 90-day warranty. But with limited stock, it’s a deal worth grabbing quickly.

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Technologies

How to Boost Your Phone Signal for Better Reception This Holiday Season

If you’re traveling for the holidays and struggling with bad reception, these 10 tips can help.

You know that special kind of holiday-travel panic? Your phone’s signal bars just… disappear. One minute you’re following the GPS to your in-laws’, the next your map is frozen, the festive playlist is dead, and you’re stranded in a dead zone. It’s not just an inconvenience; it can be a genuine safety issue.

But before you start cursing your cell carrier, you should know the problem often isn’t the network-it’s your phone being stubborn. It’s probably still clinging for dear life to a weak tower you passed 10 miles ago instead of finding a stronger one right near you. The fix is usually a ridiculously simple trick that takes about five seconds.

Stop accepting bad reception as a fact of life. Whether you have an iPhone or an Android, here are the quick and easy ways to force your phone to find a better signal. Here’s how to do it.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source on Chrome.

Note: Although software across different iPhone models is relatively the same, Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel and other Android phones may have different software versions, so certain settings and where they are located might differ depending on device.

For more, check out how you can use Google Maps when you’re offline and how you can maybe fix your internet when it’s down.

To improve your cellphone service, try these steps first

The settings on your phone can help you get better cell service but there are other tricks for improving your reception without even touching your phone’s software.

Move yourself so that there are no obstructions between your phone and any cell towers outside. That might involve stepping away from metal objects or concrete walls, which both kill reception. Instead, get to a window or go outside if possible.
Remove your phone case. It doesn’t hurt to remove whatever case you have on your phone, especially if it’s thick, so that the phone’s antenna isn’t blocked by anything and can get a better signal.
Make sure your phone is charged. Searching for and connecting to a stronger signal drains power, so if your phone battery is already low on charge, you may have a difficult time getting good service.

Always start by turning Airplane mode on and off

Turning your phone’s connection off and then back on is the quickest and easiest way to try and fix your signal woes. If you’re moving around from one location to another, toggling Airplane mode restarts the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and cellular network modems, which forces them to find the best signal in the area.

Android: Swipe down from the top of your screen — to access the Quick Settings panel — and then tap the Airplane mode icon. Wait for your phone to completely disconnect from its Wi-Fi and cellular connections. It doesn’t happen instantly, so give it a good 15 seconds before you tap on the Airplane mode icon again.

iPhone: On the iPhone, you can access Airplane mode from the Control Center, but that varies depending on which iPhone model you have. On the iPhone X and later, swipe down from the top-right corner to access the Control Center. On older iPhone models, swipe up from the bottom of the screen. Then tap the Airplane mode icon, which will turn orange when it’s enabled. Again, wait up to 15 seconds before turning it off.

If Airplane mode doesn’t work, restart your phone

Our phones are miniature computers, and just like computers, sometimes you can fix issues like network connection by simply restarting them.

Android: Hold down the power button, or the power button and the volume down key (depending on your Android phone), until the on-screen menu shows up, and then tap Restart. If your phone doesn’t offer a restart option, you can simply tap Power Off to shut down your device, and then boot it back up with the power button.

iPhone: On the iPhone X and older models, hold down the sleep/wake button and either one of the volume buttons and then swipe right on the power slider to turn off the device. Wait until it fully turns off, then press down on the sleep/wake button to turn it back on.

Alternatively, you can do a force reset on your iPhone: Press the volume up button, followed by the volume down button and then press and hold the side button. Keep holding it in, after your phone’s screen goes black and until you see the Apple logo appear again.

If your iPhone has a home button, hold down the sleep/wake button until the power slider is displayed and then drag the slider to the right. Once the device is turned off, press and hold the sleep/wake button until you see the Apple logo.

Older phone? Take your SIM card out

Another troubleshooting step that might help is to remove your SIM card, if your phone has one, and then place it back in with the phone turned on. If the SIM card is dirty, clean it. If it has any physical defects, you may need to replace it.

You’ll need a SIM card tool — usually included in your phone’s box — or an unfolded paper clip or sewing needle to get the SIM tray out of your phone.

All phones: Remove the SIM card, check to see if it’s damaged and positioned in the SIM tray correctly, then put it back in your phone.

eSIM: For phones with an eSIM — that is, an embedded electronic SIM in your phone — there’s nothing for you to remove. The best you can do is restart your phone.

Check your carrier settings (and update your software)

Mobile carriers frequently send out carrier settings updates to help improve connectivity for calls, data and messages on their network. Although this feature is available on all iPhone models, it’s not universal on Android, so you might not find carrier settings if you don’t have a supported phone.

iPhone: Carrier updates should just appear, and you can update from the pop-up message that appears. To force your iPhone to check for a carrier settings update, go to Settings > General > About on your phone. If an update is available, you’ll be prompted to install it.

Android: As mentioned before, not all Android phones have carrier settings, so you’ll have to open the Settings app and type in «carrier settings» to find any possible updates. On supported Pixels, go to Settings > Network & internet > Internet, tap the gear next to your carrier name and then tap Carrier settings versions.

Reset your phone’s network settings

Sometimes all you need is a clean slate to fix an annoying connectivity issue. Refreshing your phone’s network settings is one way to do that. But be forewarned, resetting your network settings will also reset any saved Wi-Fi passwords, VPN connections and custom APN settings for those on carriers that require additional setup.

Android: In the Settings app, search for «reset» or more specifically «reset network settings» and tap on the setting. On the Pixel, the setting is called Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth. After you reset your network settings, remember to reconnect your phone to your home and work Wi-Fi networks.

iPhone: Go to Settings > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network settings. The next page will warn you that resetting your network settings will reset your settings for Wi-Fi, mobile data and Bluetooth. Tap Reset Network Settings and your phone will restart.

Contact your phone carrier

Sometimes unexpected signal issues can be traced back to problems with your wireless carrier. A cell tower could be down, or the tower’s fiber optic cable could have been cut, causing an outage.

For consistent problems connecting to or staying connected to a cellular or data network, it’s possible your carrier’s coverage doesn’t extend well into your neighborhood.

Other times, a newfound signal issue can be due to a defect with your phone or a SIM card that’s gone bad. Contacting your carrier to begin troubleshooting after you’ve tried these fixes is the next best step to resolving your spotty signal.

If all else fails, try a signal booster to improve cell reception

If after going through all of our troubleshooting steps, including talking to your carrier to go over your options, you’re still struggling to keep a good signal — try a booster. A signal booster receives the same cellular signal your carrier uses, then amplifies it just enough to provide coverage in a room or your entire house.

The big downside here is the cost. Wilson has three different boosters designed for home use, ranging in price from $349 for single room coverage to $999 to cover your entire home. To be clear, we haven’t specifically tested these models. Wilson offers a 30-day, money-back guarantee and a two-year warranty should you have any trouble with its products.