Spell damn you! Spell! Hello new addiction, thy name be Beyond Words! A game easily to look up from at a clock and go, "Noooooo!" In this hour eater, you'll be compelled to open up your syntax and try hard to unlock all those synonyms you've forgotten while playing Mad Libs. The goal of this game is scoring high enough with words you come up with using all the game modifiers you can, so you can earn more points. The game looks like, hmmm, like a computer game for your tablet or phone. In any case, it's part of the rogue-like trend that's still going on.
Out of the way, I'm just gonna say there was a weird push from the marketing on a a constant reminder that developers also made
GoldenEye 007 and
TimeSplitters, which I don't find any bearing on this as those are shooters and this is...as they've put it a "roguelike strategy and word-crafting' game. Maybe, for the notoriety? So, the people behind it know how to make games and have for years.
And, they've made an addictive one with this. Very much like Scrabble you get a jumble of random letters and must make words out of them on colorful boards. You've got to earn so many points each round (9), which keeps going up. Luckily, you get to spell out five words each round. But, wait, there's more! You can also get modifiers on the letters, words and board. You also can get Power Cards and Booster Cards that modify how many points you earn or money you make or other factors. And, they can be weird or helpful, it's the luck of the shop.
So, you're hoping to get the best cards. So far, with hours into the game, I've had to unlock quite a few that really help. Sometimes, the game will just give you cards for certain levels. An example is get extra points for letters that spell Z-O-M-B-I-E or a multiplier card.
Watching the whole thing, seeing your word score go up. It's a pure dopamine hit. Your like a cartoon character with your eyes showing off how high your score can go...if you get the right modifiers!
And, sometimes you just aren't hitting and words aren't clicking. Ughhhhh!A lot of time bosses, just represented by silly images can wreak havoc and you might only get a bronze or silver trophy for the level, but not the beloved gold.
Talking about looks. I don't know what to put the games theme as. It's sort of all over the place. I wish there was a more concise idea with a character to represent it all.
Baltatro has the Jokers,
Raccoin has raccoons, Beyond Words has...the as it's mascot. Maybe an owl? Nice illustrations, but an overall theme tying it together really could have held it more together. It being so generic means it's open to a lot more people, but it also makes it so unmemorable.
Getting into the game though, you kind of forget it and just get lost in the words and trying to figure out the best strategy to get to the next round. Ultimately, it's totally an addictive new game, perfect to play anywhere. We're kind of shocked it didn't start as a more mobile version.
Beyond Words
Out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam
Game provided by publisher for review purposes
