WordWhack a Challenging Wordie Twist, Android Word Game Meet Whack-a-Mole
by Paul Wilks
Nov 3, 2011 10:01 AM –
Install
WordWhack is a canny and challenging word game that virtually recreates the generic Whack-a-Mole fairground game, but uses letters instead of moles! The aim of the game is to build letters into words, and create as many complete words in 1 minute! Challenging and fast-paced WordWhack can be genuinely tricky but certainly something word-game fans might relish.
Price: Free, $0.99
Tested on: HTC Desire HD
Content Rating: Everyone
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Challenging gameplay!
- Easy to play!
- Global scoring!
Cons
- Basic graphics.
- Often feels unresponsive.
Features:
WordWhack is a kooky take on the word game genre, essentially blending the word creation theme with the well known fairground attraction of yesteryear Whack-a-Mole. The idea works by presenting you with a black background and letters pop up in rapid succession. Tapping a letter saves it at the bottom of the screen. You must then tap other letters as they pop-up to create a word. Once created, slide your finger across the word at the bottom to get points for it. You essentially have 1 minute to build as many words as possible, with points being determined in typical word-game fashion, more points for using tricky letters and long words… and so on.
WordWhack becomes incredibly frenetic and pacey, the minute flies by very fast and it is a shame to note that you cannot adjust the timing to maybe 2 or 3 minutes, allowing for better words, higher scores and a more relaxed pace. However you can alter the length of time a letter stays on screen, which helps. Your score can be submitted simply to a global leaderboard which, at the time of writing, isn’t particularly challenging (my second go on the game put me in 6th place globally) but has potential to get much better with more gamers. However, the 1 minute time limit reduces some of the games enjoyment in that you often find yourself just waiting for precious seconds for the last letter you need to come up.
Also the gameboard sometimes feels frustratingly unresponsive. When swiping through a completed word it sometimes didn’t recognize this action at all. Therefore having to stop, swipe the word a few times before your action is accepted wastes precious seconds in your game. This just happened far too often for it to be a mere one-off which is a shame.
The game concept is pretty neat, but it might have greater scope if some of the settings were adjustable; perhaps either the length of time letters are on the board or the game time. With such minor changes WordWhack might be a little more playable and would create a more immersive experience.
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WordWhack – In-game view
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WordWhack – Tap letters to create word
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WordWhack – Correct word notification
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WordWhack – End of game summary
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WordWhack – Main menu
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WordWhack – Local scoreboard
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WordWhack – Instructions
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WordWhack – Global scoreboard
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WordWhack – Global scoreboard pre-submission
Fun Factor:
The frantic pace of WordWhack is fun and as you continue to build words, there’s much to enjoy. This fun-factor takes a bit of knocking if the game becomes a little unresponsive or if the letters you need fail to appear. Tweaks and longer game options would resolve that but currently being locked at 1 minute dissolves some of the fun as it is.
Addictive:
Word-game fans will perhaps rightly revel in the concept of creating words in this fast-paced puzzler and there is an addictive element to getting higher scores in the short time you have available. Because of the small issues the game has, most notably the occasional unresponsiveness, a fine line is generated as to whether you feel the game is worth playing- weighing up the addictiveness and fun-factor against the inherent frustrations the game incurs.
Graphics:
The graphics are really quite basic and, for a game you pay for, I think Android gamers might expect more. The lettered orbs which pop up have color and depth to them but overall the visuals are very basic. The plus point to this is that the game should pretty much work on all devices, but then does look very simplistic on a high-end device. However, this is a word game after all and beautiful graphics aren’t particularly required for gameplay. Gamers perhaps need to decide what they value higher.
Accelerometer, Vibration & Sound:
The sound is quite simple but fits the game well and doesn’t distract. You can also make the game vibrate with your correct words etc and, while I don’t personally think it adds very much, the more tactile of you might appreciate the extra feature. The settings themselves exist by pressing your devices ‘Menu’ button when on the main game menu, rather than having an options tab that might be easier to navigate. This is a little unintuitive and could be altogether missed by users, or even reviewers!