I love word games. crosswords not so much but this one doesn't have cryptic clues I'm too dumb for. it creates 2 running tasks and windows, showing developer incompetence from the get-go that only gets worse as you enter the disappointing options screen.
the too small, non-resizable window the game starts in can be made full screen but no resolution or window size options. only separate audio toggles, no volume settings. [b]2 unexplained difficulties[/b] and an on/off toggle and speed setting for joystick, which I take refers to controllers. very basic graphics, okay for a word game, some unfitting but not awful, slightly futuristic music and a few beeps for sfx. oh yeah, and [b]can't navigate menus with the keyboard[/b], even though the game has a couple of hotkeys. not for everything, so might as well not have bothered.
the 3 game modes, [b]explained only on the store page, not in the game[/b], can be played solo against the computer or with somebody else locally. once 'new game' is chosen (have to double-click for some reason), can't go back to the menu, only ever forward. no ticking clock that would serve no purpose. there's a menu while playing, settings are available there but [b]quitting doesn't save progress[/b], instant dealbreaker.
boards consist of words laid out in a crossword fashion, then you have 20 mystery letters to reveal on the side (hotkey: n) and hope they're found on the board. [b]the reveal is incredibly slow, one by one, should be instant but no speed setting.[/b] 3 re-rolls (hotkey: r) are available in case a letter isn't present. 26 letters in the alphabet and you get to use 23, weirdly generous.
[b]score attack is completely pointless.[/b] reveal all 20 letters one by one, all instances will be marked automatically, points handed out, a few more if a full word gets covered. end turn (hotkey: e), see score, then the computer does the same and one of you wins. you can then choose to play a random new level (why would you?), replay the same one (♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ WHY?), or click the menu button in the corner to leave.
[b]strategy mode isn't much better.[/b] still 20 letters to reveal on the side but can only select 3 of each on the board. no-brainer if there are 3 or fewer instances but otherwise probably aim for completing words. 3 re-rolls here as well and a couple of problems. [b]if there are up to 3 letters, the game should automatically select them[/b] instead of leaving busywork to the player, as there is no point in leaving them as is. the bigger issue is [b]a selected letter can't be deselected[/b], have to be extra careful. again, no reason why it shouldn't be a thing, but since it isn't, [b]why isn't the next letter revealed automatically[/b] after the third selection? can't do anything else anyway. and once again, when player 1 is done with all 20 letters, player 2 takes over and a winner is crowned.
[b]versus mode is almost like an actual game.[/b] it's strategy mode but you're taking turns on the same board instead of waiting for the other player to deal with an almost full alphabet. stealing the opponent's tiles is possible if you surround them from both ends with your own selection.
adding to the inconsistency and wtf pile, if there are 3 or fewer letters and you pick them all, gotta click end turn, but if there are 3+, the turn ends automatically after the 3rd selection. still can't deselect anything, so again, should always happen, but failing that it should be the situation where there are no choices to make or regret. makes no sense.
looking at the files, there are [b]50 board layouts but neither that, nor the words themselves matter one bit[/b]. the whole game's existence is a mystery to me. playing against a human opponent wouldn't be better either because [b]there's very little agency and absolutely no fun to be had or vocabulary to be utilized, it's as much a word game as sudoku is a numbers game[/b]. replace letters with whatever, same thing, just waiting for tiles to get highlighted. [b]cheat engine's speedhack was a godsend[/b], turned the few matches I played almost tolerable. [b]pedestrian and flawed execution, sold for a ridiculous $10.[/b] absolutely not. I paid 2 bucks, which is 2 more than it's worth.
