Beyond Words PC Review
Summary: Prepare to learn some new words and/or question whether certain letter combinations really are words... all with power-ups!
3.4
Wonder Words
I enjoy a good word game… it’s hard to go past the classic Scrabble. I’m even keen on crosswords and the like, so a new take on word games seemed like an appealing option… enter Beyond Words.
At first glance, Beyond Words does indeed look like it is simply a variation of Scrabble and to some extent that is true… but it’s what has been added that makes a big difference. My son stated it’s basically like Balatro and from the little of that I have played, I can see what he means.
Basically, you are indeed faced with a board and have to try and make words then add other words onto those already on the board without causing letters to make non-existent words (though you will likely end up thinking some of the words that are accepted are made up… because there are definitely words that technically exist but are just not really functionally used now). But what makes Beyond Words different is that the board doesn’t just have score multipliers (though indeed they are there)… it also has other bonuses and obstacles. You can gain coins throughout your play and these can then be spent on power cards and boosters… essentially tools that can help you increase the scores your words produce.
But you also are not just presented with a standard board… each section has a different board, some with massively restricted play space (which, if you are lucky, you can get a power card to open up a bit via explosive tiles or the ability to remove solid blocks when you complete a word next to them)… some with enhancements that might actually cause you to go backwards in score. The variety of boosts and powers you can get is quite impressive, though they do boil down to a handful of different ways to increase your score and how much they help (i.e. giving a basic multiplier or a multiplier that keeps going up under certain conditions).
You can discard a certain number of tiles… unless the particular level you are on says you can’t. You need to get to a certain high score to complete the level… unless you actually have to get a negative score (which has ramifications for multipliers and how they impact your play). There are plenty of things that can work against you, but thanks to the boosts and power cards, there are also plenty of things that can drastically help you tip the odds in your favour.
I did enjoy the game to start with (though I hated the electric guitar slide when you fail a level… not because I failed a level, I just find it a horrible sound… I also found the overall sounds and music to be very much like reused elements of Bejewelled or similar types of games… or the equivalent of game lift music). I did, however, find my interest diminishing after a while as things started to feel more up to chance than skill (I am aware that there is a big degree of skill involved in both choosing what to place down for the current word and subsequent words and the power-ups you choose… but some of these are randomised to the extent that it can take many plays just to get something that will give you a chance).
Final Thoughts:
If it’s on special, it’s not bad for a quick pick up and play a round or two… but the random nature of the power cards and boosts and the ludicrously steep starting point for some levels, either via score or play space… means it can get frustrating quickly. I’m pretty near completing it and am quite sure I could with perseverance and more focused strategy… I’ve just lost all interest in doing so. If you like Balatro and think it would be interesting in a Scrabble setting, then I’d say grab a copy!
About the Author
Chris O'Connor Father of four, husband of one and all round oddity. Gaming at home since about 1982 with a Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Moving on to the more traditional PC genre in the years that followed with the classic Jump Joe and Alley Cat. CGA, EGA, VGA and beyond PC's have been central to my gaming but I've also enjoyed consoles and hand helds along the way (who remembers the Atari Lynx?). Would have been actor/film maker, jack of many trades master of none.
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