Boggle Meets Crosswords In This Addictive iOS Game
When I got an iPad 10 years ago I did NOT think I would, a decade later, use it every day. I read books almost exclusively on my iPad (I have a mini, and I greatly prefer it), but I also play games on it every day too. I usually do one or two crosswords a day using the Crosswords Classic app, which, when I bought it ten years ago, seemed extravagant at $10. I love word puzzles, and $10 for something that’s lasted ten years seems like a GREAT buy. But there’s a new word app that I find myself playing every day as well, and this one is free.
Wordscapes is not a good name, but is an addictive game. It’s like Boggle mixed with a crossword puzzle. You get a little collection of letters on the bottom half of the screen, and a crossword grid on the top. As you chain letters together to make words, they fill in the crossword, which helps you figure out any words you may be having trouble finding. If you find words that are included in the in-game dictionary, but aren’t in the puzzle, you get bonus points.
After completing a section of puzzles, you get a coin bonus. You can also get coins from placing high in the weekend tournaments, or from getting coins as a daily prize. These coins are used to provide hints, should you get stuck. Also, if you are absolutely stuck and DON’T have any coins, or want to hoard your coins, there are myriad websites out there that show you all the words you can make out of a random collection of letters. This is also helpful if you keep trying to play a word that you KNOW is a word, but the game doesn’t recognize it and you want validation.
There’s a big level, then sub levels, then 16 levels within the sub level. It’s convoluted and somewhat inscrutable but it does not affect gameplay at all.
A few hints from me, a person who downloaded this app two months ago and is now on level 2000: The people making these puzzles are science nerds, and if you have NO IDEA what the word that uses all the letters is, think of science words. Maybe it’s phylum. They also include Greek letters and no proper nouns, except Mayan. Wordscapes developers, CLEARLY I HAVE NOTES.
Wordscapes is free to download, but there are ads after every single puzzle, and sometimes it takes 90 seconds to complete a puzzle… so it can get real obnoxious real fast. I’d say play a few rounds and see if you like it, but if you DO, it is absolutely worth the $3 to get a no-ad version. I shelled out the $3 in about 20 minutes, but I am a word game nerd.
