Cute, yet unoriginal word game
Reckon you've got a way with words? Keyword VS. will put your word knowledge to the test, pitting you against other wordsmiths in head-to-head online battles.
Spreading the word
Word game battles are hardly a new phenomenon. Games like Words with Friends, WordFeud, and the mighty Scrabble have long been entertaining word puzzle fans on their mobile devices. So what does King's version of a word game offer that's new to the world of word games? Not a lot actually.
Keyword VS. follows the well-trodden path of a grid of jumbled letters that you must make words out of. You join can join letters together in a path as long as they are adjacent to each other. Points are awarded based on the value of each letter combined, and there are special 'multiplayer' letters in each grid that increase your score when used in a word.
You play Keyword VS. against random online opponents in the form of turn-based head-to-head battles (much like Word with Friends or WordFeud), set over a series of rounds. You must make three words per round. Winning matches earns you coins, which can be exchanged for power-ups such as multipliers and wildcard letters.
Keyword VS. is a very familiar gaming style which brings nothing new to the format in terms of innovative gameplay. That said, it's a relaxing game that will stimulate your brain and has a competitive edge to it.
How to play Keyword VS.
Keyword VS. is very easy to pick up and play, even if you've never tried this type of word game before. There's a gentle introductory tutorial available to get you started, if you need it. But all you really need to do is swipe your finger across the letters to join words. It's that simple.
More than words
As you might expect from the same developer who brought us Candy Crush Saga, Papa Pear Saga, and Farm Heroes Saga, Keyword VS. has a distinctly sickly sweet feel to it.
If you're a serious, respectable word gamer you might be put off by the flowery woodland background and lullaby soundtrack. Sure it's tranquil and relaxing but don't let your friends from your book club catch you playing it or you might get some strange looks.
Of course, you may like this kind of cutesy graphic style. Even so, it would be nice to have some variety in the backgrounds and game board designs, or even to make them customizable.
The final word
Keyword VS. is a fun word game, but it breaks no new ground, other than to stamp King's trademark sugary design over a tired word game format.
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