A Scrabble Masterclass
If ever there was a game that could split opinion, Beyond Words is going to be it. On one side of the tile, you have the roguelike, deck-building nature – something that will instantly appeal to fans of the likes of Balatro. Some will be drawn to that immediately, while others might dismiss it right off the bat.
On the other side, you have the creation of words and the skill of the Scrabble; a game that could stretch your vocabulary like nothing before it. Again, there is likely to be no middle ground here.
For me, as someone who loves words, and has spent hundreds of hours with Balatro and its many clones, Beyond Words is a perfect mash-up. I’ll say it now: Beyond Words, for me, is a 5/5.
The Pedigree of Wordplay
It helps to understand the DNA here. Developed by MindFuel Games – a duo who have previously been behind the likes of GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark, and TimeSplitters – Beyond Words arrives as a genre-defining fusion of roguelike strategy and word-crafting. It is essentially a Scrabble-like roguelike that requires a decent understanding of the English language and a logical mind for patterns, synergies, and combos. Without that grasp on the language, and without going deep into the systems, you’ll struggle with what Beyond Words is trying to do.
Set across multiple stages unlocked along a branching level roadmap, your goal is to take down nine different segments of a level (with an Endless option if you need it), unlocking more as you go. Initially, you’ll have a set number of moves (five, for example) and a score target to hit; perhaps 500 in the early stages. Subsequent levels then up the ante, while some good ol’ boss stages are thrown in for good measure.
Tile placements work exactly as Scrabble, as you build out your board, utilising your tile deck and rack. From there, there are some 40 boss challenges that twist the rules of Beyond Words in devious ways, as they attempt to bring new ideas to the game, halting your run in the process.
Multipliers and Masterful Synergies
Scoring roughly follows standard Scrabble logic, and that means an ‘A’ is worth 1 point, while an ‘H’, ‘M’ or ‘P’ may be slapped with an 8. Other letters of the alphabet and Wildcard tiles are complete with their own score. The real magic, however, lies in how you utilise those tiles, create your words, and bend the rules of Scrabble. The game features over 300 unique modifiers, in the form of Power Cards, Booster Cards, Perks and various supercharged tile types like Bomb tiles, Coin tiles and more. Those standard Scrabble scores are soon thrown out of the window for numbers verging on the extreme.
The Power Cards act much like the all-important Jokers in Balatro, and are absolutely key to any form of success in Beyond Words. Utilising various types, ensuring they work together, or having them cover a number of bases for differing strategies, is a component of the game that you’ll not want to ignore.
The strategy deepens with multipliers that come in both ‘Plus’ and ‘Multiply’ versions, allowing you to either add to, or exponentially grow, your total score. You can duplicate the letters you love and destroy the ones you don’t, trimming your tile bag, before using stickers and enhancements to create devastating power-scoring combos. The real skill lies in planning ahead and scouring the board for routes to powerful pickups. And in fact, you have to be a friend to your future self, setting up the board for that perfect bit of word play that will see you dip over the required score and move into the next segment of play.
The addition of Bomb tiles adds a layer of risk-and-reward. Do you use them early to clear a path toward a high-value multiplier, or save them to detonate a cluster of low-value tiles that are cluttering your hand? Similar goes for the clever Virus tiles that increase in value, spreading throughout the land with each and every move. This level of depth ensures that even when the RNG isn’t in your favour, a clever bit of board management can still snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. This is a game that can well reward awareness and timing over simple luck. Many times we have sat looking at our board in Beyond Words, convinced it is going to fail, only for things to come together nicely, saving the day at the last minute.
Strategic Depth
The true genius of Beyond Words is how it forces you to pivot your strategy. Each stage will give a starting tile bag with a limitation of letters, along with a set number of items. But from there it’s up to you to work the rack as you see fit.
However, just as you think you’ve built a god-tier deck of letters, one of those Boss challenges will arrive to pull the rug from under you. These aren’t just score-gates either; some might restrict certain tiles, while others might force you to play words of a specific length, and the like. Those bosses are there to destroy you and your run, and – honestly – it can at times feel a tad unfair when you stumble upon a near-unbeatable boss from out of nowhere. On the flip, being pushed back does keep the one more go loop feeling fresh.
Endless Discovery
The boards themselves are a far cry from a standard square grid too. While initial stages start simply, the layouts soon change massively, featuring themed biomes and cleverly created stage layouts. If you want to change the pace, you can even jump into time-attack boards for a more frantic experience, although for us, these bring a level of intensity that isn’t particularly welcome. There are the good old seeded runs available should you need to call on them too.
Everything you do in Beyond Words is done for a reason. Coins are a key part of that, collected up as you place words, and rewarded as levels are ticked off. Those coins are then fed back into end-of-stage (and occasional mid-stage, on-the-fly) shops, allowing you to pick, choose and play with the Level/Tile Boosters and Power Cards available to your needs.
Depending on a smattering of luck, stage type, and shop stock, a run might last a few minutes, or an hour could pass in the blink of an eye. That replayability is the huge draw, bolstered by the drive to collect bronze, silver, and gold trophies (130 at launch, but we cross fingers for more stages and trophies to be added down the line), heading back into previously completed levels in hope of upping the colour of reward. And then for the completionists, there is a detailed stats screen and a full collection rundown to obsess over. We’re not sure we’re meant to have spent so long tabbing through the unlocks available in Beyond Words, but we have done just that, working out the best way to open up the next unlock.
Beyond Words looks great too. Its immediate vibe is that of the classic Scrabble, but everything is super clear, colourful, and the tiles are nicely detailed. Placing words is usually a cinch, though at times there is the occasional slowdown in frame rate and a slight frustration when navigating complex boards with an Xbox controller. It’s hardly enough to make a dent on what is otherwise a supremely well designed, cleverly crafted word game.
The Ultimate Playground for Wordsmiths
Beyond Words is the Scrabble-like Balatro-inspired word-puzzler you should be playing. It’s a near-infinitely replayable playground of letters and logic that comes together in a way that ensures it is right up there as one of the very best in the genre.
Of course, a firm grasp of the English language is a must, and a love for the genre definitely helps; without those, you’ll be pushed off this board within mere seconds. But if you can tick those boxes and you’re looking for a new game to while away the hours, Beyond Words is going to happily eat up your life.
Important Links
Beyond Words Is A Must-Play For Scrabble And Puzzle Fans – https://www.thexboxhub.com/beyond-words-is-a-must-play-for-scrabble-and-puzzle-fans/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/beyond-words/9n1l48jv9dv5
