OMG Words

I'm a decent scrabble player, and I'm 10 hours in without a single win. This game needed more playtesting.

Poor balance makes this pretty hard for me to enjoy, it's not like I don't like word games, no idea why this is tagged as a roguelite because there's no metaprogression beyond "ooh look you unlocked a new board", and honestly that's my biggest gripe with it, the metaprogression is practically nonexistent. I thought I was gonna love this game and have hours upon hours of fun with it, but sadly it wasn't meant to be, and there's not even any settings to change the gameplay and make it suit you better if you think "this is too punishing". The entire game is about luck of the draw more than anything, even the shops you have to hope you get a good draw, and the ability to reroll the shop doesn't change that I think this game has a wealth of potential, but sadly I can't recommend this to the average player as it is edit: I've since played a game called horizons: the end of words, and while it's quite different in many aspects, I think if you want a good word game roguelike, that's a much better option than this

[h3][b][i]Rating:[/i][/b][i] 2.8/5[/i][/h3] [hr][/hr] [h3][b]Full YouTube Review:[/b] [url=https://youtu.be/pxSKJd-yUfk]Click Here![/url][/h3] [hr][/hr] OMG Words is a game with a fantastic premise, blending the mechanics of Scrabble and Balatro into a unique roguelike deckbuilder. Unfortunately, its execution leaves much to be desired. While the core idea is compelling, the gameplay suffers from frustrating restrictions that hold it back from its full potential. You all can watch my video for a full overview, but here is a quick summary for those who just want a quick idea of what I think and what they may expect. [b]Pros:[/b] [list] [*]An enticing concept with a fusion of Scrabble and Balatro [*]Satisfying synergies when you really understand how to mix relics, boons, and tile upgrades [*]Clear visuals that are visually distinct and easy to follow [/list] [b]Cons:[/b] [list] [*]Overly punishing difficulty that forces players into rigid strategies [*]Lack of flexibility due to limited income and high score goals that discourages experimentation [*]Minimal sound design that makes the game feel sort of lifeless [/list] This game has its flaws, but, at the end of the day, it has a strong foundation and a lot of potential. The synergy between relics and boons shows glimpses of greatness, but the game’s restrictive nature holds it back. If it offered more strategic freedom, better progression balance, and a stronger identity, it could transform from a frustrating challenge into an addictive masterpiece. [hr][/hr] [h3][b]Information for Fellow Achievement Hunters [/b][/h3] [list] [*]0 missable achievements [*]Basically every achievement is grindy in this game (not even close to completing them all yet) [*]No paid DLC achievements [*]No broken achievements (that I know of) [*]No multiplayer achievements [/list]

There's a boss that PERMANENTLY decreases the value of every played tile. This game has serious balance issues.

I thought I'd love [i]OMG Words[/i], because I love [i]Balatro[/i] and I'm also a bit of a vocabulary nerd. But I have to agree with other reviewers who have stated that the game just isn't balanced that well. You're very much at the mercy of RNG, and the upgrades you can buy are neither affordable enough nor powerful enough to overcome this. I think this could be a great game with some rebalancing, but as of now it's too punishing to be fun for more than a few hours. Oh, and the dictionary this game uses is really bad. I didn't think to write down any concrete examples, but it accepts some short letter combinations that are not real words, while rejecting many words that aren't even that obscure.

There is a good game here. With some tweaks, it could be fun. However, I found that the difficulty hindered my interest. I was always on the verge of losing. There is very little leeway, so you can't really pivot your strategy. Money is so scarce that I could only ever afford one thing between rounds. All of this made it difficult to better learn mechanics. I felt like I had to play "cheaply" by making 2-letter words that could be counted multiple times whereas bigger words weren't worth the effort. I didn't mind the look, but some flashy visuals and more sounds would go a long way as well. I can hopefully revisit this review and change it to positive.

This is essentially Scrabble given the Balatro treatment. However, it lacks the soul of Balatro. It has the standard +mult and +points, conditional modifiers, etc. The basics are all there. It just isn't grabbing me like Balatro. The build interactions and deck modifications that make Balatro so addicting just don't seem to have the same level of impact in this game.