Beyond Words blends classic wordplay and modern gaming mechanics. The result is an easy-to-understand game that takes no prisoners. Furthermore, there is a distinct feel of Balatro as you play with power cards, multipliers, and other game-changing elements. This adds a sense of jeopardy and makes things unbelievably addictive.
This rogue-like card/board game was developed by MindFuel Games and published by PQube Ltd. It is a single-player game that’ll test your grey matter. With a combination of Scrabble elements and modern rogue-like mechanics, there is some skill and a whole host of luck required to get you through each challenging stage.
Beyond Words focuses on the action.
I’d have been surprised if Beyond Words had a story. After all, it is a game about creating words from the tiles you are given. I genuinely cannot see how a plot would have improved the action, and the sense of doom and failure is enough to keep you focused throughout.
The action takes place on multiple game boards with an array of challenges, upgrades, and coins to collect. As you gather coins, you can spend them on cards at the end of each round. Moreover, the better your score and the higher tile count you use, the more coins you’ll earn.
The multipliers, power cards, and other modifiers are the difference between a mediocre score and something that blasts you through your goal. Therefore, you’ll need as much money as possible to maximise your potential.
Simple approach, but plenty can go wrong.
Beyond Words is a simple concept that should plateau. However, it is this basic design, married with plenty of danger, that makes it unbelievably good to play. As you lay out words, you must use the existing thread to expand your linguistic design. This approach is exactly like Scrabble. However, unlike Scrabble, it isn’t as picky with the words you can choose.
This will make purists a little itchy and sore as you can chuck in names, plurals, and a host of other words. Despite my brain saying this shouldn’t be allowed, I accepted the sneaky shortcuts and got to work laying rude and otherwise unusable words.
What makes Beyond Words tough is the constantly twisting goal. As you reach “boss” stages, you’ll be told that certain letters are useless or your power-ups are defunct. Alternatively, you may only score with words of a certain length. This sounds ok, but when you’ve filled the board with other tiles, this can make things a little tricky. Subsequently, I can see this being a sticking point for some gamers.
Beyond Words is visually underwhelming.
I didn’t expect Beyond Words to be a visual masterpiece. After all, it doesn’t need to be. Instead, you get a functional and clean design that lets you focus on the board and your power-ups. This simple approach was pleasant while reducing clutter and confusion. It may not be next gen, but it works extremely well.
The audio is relatively relaxing and refined. There are moments where the sound effects break this mould, but it has a hotel lobby appeal that works with the intellectual gameplay demands.
Refined controls.
Mastering this took no time at all. The UI is a joy to work through, and changing your modifiers, power cards, and other elements at the end of each round was a breeze. Alongside this, keeping on top of your score, your objectives, and other key elements doesn’t hold you back. The hardest element is the ever-changing gameplay and the unknown moments.
I lost count of the levels I tackled. Each one has a unique design that offers a fresh challenge. Moreover, there are plenty of upgrades and different multipliers that adjust the way you tackle each stage. Consequently, Beyond Words offers plenty of replay value if you love to test your mind.
Beyond Words is a nice change of pace.
I’m a huge fan of games that offer something new. Beyond Words delivers classic gameplay with many modern touches. If you love Balatro, you’ll appreciate the similarities. Additionally, if you like to test your brain, this will do that at every stage. Accordingly, I think it’s great, and I recommend buying it here! Can you get through every level? Grab your tiles, make some words, and defeat every “boss” level.
