as the great detective adrian monk once said: [url=https://youtu.be/r0dXk94CSq0?t=46][i]word, word, everybody word[/i][/url]. I can only echo his sentiment, and [b]amazing pyramids: rebirth[/b] is definitely a good choice to word with. can't make any comparisons to the original, which seems to be a [i]big fish[/i]-exclusive and I'd never heard of it before running into this.
[u]adventure mode[/u] is the main event. not much of a story, [b]55 levels[/b], plus 7 optional jigsaws on the side every now and then. they don't even replace word game levels, just add some variety if you want (I didn't).
most levels are pyramids, the game randomly picks one of the [b]120+ word categories[/b], and you have to figure out what's the 9-letter word at the bottom, then the 8-letter one in another category, and so on, the last being a 3-letter word. no descriptions, no freestyling any old 9-letter fruit or whatever, just click on letters from the alphabet and see if they're there. [b]it's basically hangman[/b] is what I'm saying, and [b]words don't repeat until you run out[/b].
combos are a thing if you guess multiple letters in a row correctly, making no mistakes and finishing a word quickly are also rewarded, and a bit of extra cash is paid for any remaining letters after each word. unfortunately, [b]money is just the local equivalent of points[/b] and can't be used for anything.
[b]vital energy[/b] is an actual resource, though not one with much use. it drains a bit after every selected letter, whether it's correct or not, and if there's some left at the end of an in-game day (i.e.: at the end of a level), bully for you. and more meaningless points.
[b]the stone of afterlight[/b] is a nifty thing, can be used as often as you like and at any point in the guessing process to enter the full word without using energy. you can change your mind, but if you're right, you'll get a random bonus. if you're wrong, the current word will re-roll with a new category and you lose some points.
while money has no use, there are still [b]power-ups[/b] that come in 4 flavors to reveal letters in a specific spot or all the vowels, or mark a few incorrect letters or replace the current category and word. they're collected by using the stone of afterlight and by solving words quickly and efficiently.
[b]adventure levels can't be replayed individually[/b], which is a bit weird, except there's no resources to farm, you'll be swimming in power-ups soon enough, and why replay a specific level when they're all the same? well, almost, as themed levels have the same category for every word, while in others everything starts with the same letter. [b]end-of-level animations can be skipped[/b], always appreciated, you can even click while a category is being chosen to make it quicker, and [b]mid-level progress is saved when you quit[/b]. sadly, scoring animations and some others are unskippable and pretty slow.
[u]manuscript mode[/u] unlocks by reaching level 7, the first manuscript in adventure mode. it's a timed game, have to [b]recreate as many words from jumbled letters as you can in 3 minutes[/b]. you'll get a new set of letters after every word, and such levels during the adventure can be skipped. the biggest problem is, [b]only one preset solution is accepted[/b], so while [i]sure[/i] should be a perfectly cromulent word, only [i]user[/i] is accepted on that occasion. also, fancy [b]animations waste precious seconds[/b].
[u]shard mode[/u] unlocks by reaching level 13, the first shard in adventure mode. it's similar to manuscript, except here you have to [b]create as many words as you can in 3 minutes, using the same set of letters[/b]. adventure levels like this can also be skipped.
[u]blitz mode[/u] unlocks after completing adventure mode. it's about decrypting a full pyramid without clues or power-ups, and there's a 100-turn limit provided by the vital energy meter. the stone of afterlight is still at your service.
evidently, there's [b]plenty of content and variety[/b] on offer, and it's presented with the usual casual game aesthetics. 4 dictionaries [b](english, german, french and russian)[/b], separate volume settings and toggles to get rid of annoying interjections while playing a level (cutscenes aren't voiced), and a [b]useless windowed mode[/b] (non-resizable window without resolution options). online leaderboards for every game mode and in-game representation of achievements are also available.
[b]keyboard support would be great[/b], typing instead of clicking, and ideally it'd extend to other areas of the ui, so it could be played completely mouse-free. toggles for certain animations would be welcome as well.
other than these, it's an [b]excellent word game[/b]. cool concept, looks and sounds good enough, can be as easy or difficult as you want it to be, and the price is reasonable as well.
