In Wordiamo, players face off in a head-to-head challenge of words, both attempting to make as a high a score as possible using the limited letters provided to them.
The game plays out very similarly to Scrabble, with one major exception; you do not need to connect the words on the board together. In Scrabble, every word must be placed alongside an already present letter.
In Wordiamo, this is not the case. Instead, you can place letters and whole words anywhere you want on the board. Alongside that, when making a new word island, you gain a protection around your word that ensures the other player can’t use your words’ letters to their benefit. This protection lasts as long as you keep using the word island to build off of, meaning you can theoretically nullify your opponent’s plays by blocking them off from using a huge amount of letters on the board, further widening the gap between you and your opponent.
Each word has an individual score, just like Scrabble, but the first time letters are placed down, you gain additional score, allowing for a huge bonus in points when placing those first words.
One of the key strategic elements in Wordiamo is knowing when to link your word islands to the other players. The reason this is valuable is that it ensures you get more letters to base words off of, plus you can deprive those letters from your opponent.[sc name=”quote” text=”The reason this is valuable is because it ensures you get more letters to base words off of, plus you can deprive those letters from your opponent.”]
Wordiamo is interesting because it takes a simple game concept of Scrabble and gives it a unique twist, without really changing many key qualities or gameplay aspects of the classic board game.
With any kind of game like this, the designers must choose between click and drag or a simple click interface – Wordiamo went with click and drag, which can sometimes feel a little cumbersome when trying to move letters around or cancel your word choice, but it stops short of frustrating you, thankfully.
There is the slight additional issue that playing 8 letters allows you to win instantly; this means that it is possible to end the game through sheer luck of getting the right letters, which can feel a little bit annoying. While you normally hold 7 letters, you can play 6 or 7 letters to earn an 8th letter. Then to win immediately, on your next turn you must play those 8 letters directly off of the green mainland group. Fortunately, these factors coming together make this knockout play rare.
Overall though, Wordiamo is a satisfying take on a classic game that adds enough new features to be something distinct. The UI is functional and attractive, if ever so slightly cumbersome at times, and the two player feature works seamlessly, allowing players to go head to head without any kind of difficulty in setting up the game.
Also, you can share screenshots easily, so you can ask your friends and family to help with difficult word situations! The ability to phone a friend is always handy when playing puzzle games.
Not only is Wordiamo portable and convenient, it is new enough to turn your head and keep you playing despite its classic routes.
[review pros=”Great twist on the classic Scrabble. Easy to play and share screenshots to help you cheat!” cons=”The click and drag controls feel cumbersome at times.” score=9]
[appbox appstore id1035174150]
