WordChain by mp_raxxius
Created for Ludum Dare 46 - Keep it alive
I enjoy playing letter tile games but due to a bit of a competitive streak among my friends every board inevitably ends up becoming a snarled web with every additional point a hard fought mess. WordChain instead strives to be a relaxed experience where the only goal is to keep the chain going to the next word.
Instructions: 1) Place tiles vertically or horizontally to form words, connecting to previously played words. 2) You will receive one point every time you successfully place a word. 3) You will draw one less tile than the number you placed, and one extra for every word formed above the first. 4) Unused tiles clear the board every round. 5) There are special tiles to draw +1, draw +2, or swap all tiles. Play on them to activate. 6) In any word placement there must be at least one brand new word. 7) Choose 'Give Up' when you feel you can no longer keep your streak alive.
That's it! Please enjoy.
| Youtube | https://mpraxxius.itch.io/wordchain-ludum-dare-46 |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/46/wordchain |
Ratings
| Overall | 716th | 3.703⭐ | 39🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 431th | 3.743⭐ | 39🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 1519th | 3.135⭐ | 39🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 2298th | 2.919⭐ | 39🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 1430th | 3.473⭐ | 39🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 115th | 4.111⭐ | 38🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 60🗳️ | 29🗨️ |
To make sure - so you can only place one "line" of letters each turn, right? Like if you were playing on an infinitely long Scrabble board? I was trying to place two words on different lines (but both connected to the original word) at first. If that's the case, I might even try to lock out tile placement that's not in the same "direction" as the first tiles you place each round.
The animations on the menu and in-game give it an extra touch of polish. Good stuff!
But that's not why I'm here, I'm so here for that background music. It sounds like a half-remembered version of the Mii Channel music, with a bit of extra crooning. Brilliant! Perhaps I'd enjoy word games if they all had this BG music...
The life on the title screen is a fun extra touch too :)
Nice game, so bad I'm french...
Normally I'm not very good at word games, but I enjoyed the chill atmosphere and always had the desire to just place one more word! I liked the special tiles randomly appearing giving you something to aim towards.
Wasn't sure how to do more than one word at a time until I tried going parallel to the existing word. After that, it's much easier since there's more to work with. Quality of life request: Be able to move letters around in the tray without needing using the board as a go-between. Also, perhaps the ability to scramble the tray letters. (I'm the kind of scrabble player that needs to stumble upon a word chunk to build up a word.)
I don't like word games because I've never been a strong speller, but I had fun with your game. It let me take my time and didn't punish me for wrong answers or even down right guesses. Also that music is great! It reminds me of the intro to The Tick! one of my favorite shows growing up! I did run into a bug, but you had already listed it so it's all good. Great Job!