Word Forward | Nintendo Switch Review
Word puzzles are on the up and up, with the likes of Wordle getting lots of attention on Twitter, more and more attention is focussed on getting mobile and web favourites ported to consoles. Word Forward is one of those games which is now available on the Nintendo Switch, having been originally released on mobile as well as Windows PC in 2019. It was developed by Rocketship Park and published by Thalamus Digital, and for the purposes of this review, I had the pleasure of playing Word Forward on the Nintendo Switch Lite.
The function of the game is a follows – you get a 5x5 square full of letters and you need to clear all of the letters from the screen by making a word with a minimum of three letters. Seems easy enough, right? But you must also make sure that the letters are connected to each other in order. If you have a lonesome letter without another ajoining it, you are in trouble straightaway. This game requires forward planning, as you not only need to figure out which words you can make, but you also need to have a technique to ensure that you are not suddenly left with letters which do not connect with each other, or even worse have only two letters remaining!
While the above may sound daunting, luckily there are a few extra tiles which can help you if you are in a bind. Letters can be swapped with each other a maximum of 4 times. However, if you manage to create a 4 letter word or more, you can receive extra swap possibilities, which can make the challenge a lot easier. You are also given 2 random letters which can be used to swap with other letters on your board. If you find that the remaining letters are posing too much of an issue, you can use the Jumble Modifier tile to change the remaining tiles to different random letters. The Swap Modifier can help you change a tile to a letter of your choice. There is also a Bomb Modifier which can remove a stubborn tile. These modifiers can be only used once per round, so choose wisely.
If you are worried about not getting any value for money from this game, fear not! There are 500 puzzles available so you will not be left wanting. Although there is a menu with instructions, it did take me a while to get used to the game and to clear the first round. Luckily, I soon found my form and became obsessed with creating long words – trying to beat my previous record. Sometimes I created ridiculous words which I never used in a sentence in my life, but just came to me when I was trying to solve the puzzle. On occasions, there are also tiles which are in place with arrow signs, indicating they can only be used in a certain direction.
Once I found my rhythm with Word Forward, it turned out to be a very simple, yet clever game to enjoy during a break from the busy work day. One criticism – albeit a minor one – is the music involved. The music became incredibly repetitious, in particular once you are hooked and attempting to do 20+ puzzles at any one time. In that case, variety would be the spice of life. However, it is a small criticism, as you can simply turn off the music, and put on your own playlist from your favourite streaming service, while enjoying a cup of tea. Simply bliss!
So ditch the crosswords and Sudoku puzzles, and mix it up with Word Forward. It is a clever game, which can get you instantly hooked, and looks great in handheld mode.
Tina's Rating: 4 Tiles out of 5.
For more information on Word Forward please use the following links...
Rocketship Park - Developer | Facebook | Twitter | Website
Thalamus Digital - Publisher | Facebook | Twitter | Website
Many thanks to PressEngine for the Review Key.
Word Forward | Windows PC | Nintendo
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