GAMING
install. It’ll make you grin as you come
to grips with its terse form, be a go-to
game to fill spare moments, and keep
you playing until you’ve weaved your
way to every ending.- SpellTower+
Price: £4.99
The original SpellTower is a classic.
Drawing from magazine-style
crosswords and word searches, it
subverted such games by introducing
elements from arcade-oriented
puzzlers like Tetris.
This ‘plus’ version spruces up the
original, adding full cross-device
support, and a handful of new
modes and features. All over again,
SpellTower
finds itself
propelled to
the top of the
word-game
heap.
The clever
way tradition
and arcade
gaming are
merged
becomes
apparent
the second
you start
Tower mode.
The jumble of letters resembles a
scrambled crossword puzzle. Words
can be created by snaking a path
through the tiles. Submit a word
and its letters disappear; gravity
then makes itself known, and tiles
left hanging plummet downwards.
Maximising your score requires
strategic planning rather than
merely dragging out the longest
constructions.
Beyond this, you get a range of
other ways to play. Puzzle adds a
new line of tiles for every submitted
word, ending your go when your
tower reaches a red line. Rush is
more tense, since you play against
the clock. Double-speed versions of
these modes exist – great for quicker
games – along with Bubble Puzzle
(blow up bubbles before using letters)
and Search (one chance to secure the
biggest word, utilizing double-score
tiles where possible).
For free, five modes are unlocked,
but ads frequently intrude. For the
best experience, pay your fiver and
fully unlock the finest solo word game
on Apple devices.- TypeShift
Price: Free (in-app purchases)
Zach Gage apparently has a thing
for rethinking classic puzzle games