Review: Word Block Stacks UWP
Score:
90%
What do you get if you combine word searches and Tetris? You get Word Block Stacks, a full UWP game for all Windows 10 computers, including phones - and it's rather terrific. Fast, attractive, clever, fun, and - most importantly, these days, effectively free forever. I couldn't put this game down and it therefore comes highly recommended.
Buy Link | Download / Information Link
From the Store description:
Word Block Stack is an exciting puzzle game for TRUE WORD geniuses! Concentrate to find all hidden words! It starts off as an easy word game and becomes challenging! Play and exercise your brain!
- 100+ packs, 1000+ levels!
- Difficulty increases along with levels. Easy to play, but hard to beat!
- Free 100 coins at the first word search game.
- Earn rewards for finding extra words!
- You can also get more coins purchasing or watching advertising videos
- Play OFFLINE in anytime and anywhere.
- All grids are double-checked to make sure they are solvable!
Although there's an in-game currency, it can only be earned - by solving levels, by adding extra found words as you go, by watching a short advertisement (which is where the developer gets some recompense, I think), and (as a one off) by rating the game. Which are all absolutely fair enough. No swingeing freemium mega-puchases, you (or your kids) can dive in here with abandon, without fear.
First of all, proof that Word Block Stacks has no in app purchases to worry about. If you need a boost of currency, you can watch an advert, and that's about it. You'll earn currency for hints and clues by simply playing and clearing levels; (right) Word Block Stacks is visually pretty too, and it only gets prettier, since there are some photographic themes/backdrops that are well within range of an hour's playtime.
Here's the game in action then. Words around a theme are jumbled up in a grid, but always with at least one word continuous, in any direction ('Solve' and 'Gather', above). As you swipe over each word, the other letter tiles collapse, creating another continuous word to be spotted and swiped over, and so on. For example, above left, After 'Solve' is taken out, there's 'Minus' going up, and then the 'P' drops to allow 'Plus'. It's all very clever. You'll sometimes spot an obvious word, but it'll be broken up at first because another word needs to be cleared first.
Audio can be toggled as needed, and - what's this? Data and privacy policies in a GAME? This is a sign of just how polished, how beautifully finished every aspect of this title is; (right) the puzzles get harder as you go along, in terms of density and word length - but always fun and challenging. The magnifying glass control at the bottom gives a hint where the initial letter of the first solvable word is highlighted; the light bulb icon places an initial letter in the word spaces at the top, while the shuffle icon shuffles the words in such a way as to make everything look different, but still solvable.
Each of the hint/shuffle controls cost in-game currency, of course, so don't use them too often as you'll never to to 500 and start buying those nice theme packs. But it's all pitched very well, currency accrues at a decent rate as you play. One nice touch is that you can also trace out words which aren't in the grid - and you get extra credit for this - when the bottom-left '+' Extra control is filled, you get another hit of currency.
Super, just super. Grab Word Block Stacks in the Store here for Windows 10 Mobile and beyond. It's free, as I say, and unless I'm missing something, should stay that way throughout its levels.
(Discovered through MyAppFree)
Reviewed by Steve Litchfield at