Letters of Boom Review

Maybe it's the fact that Letters of Boom looks like a word game from a few years ago, rather than the more favored minimalist approach that we're used to now, but something doesn't fully click for it. It's an interesting word game but it lacks that 'just one more go' factor that makes all the difference.

There's a Classic mode for when you have plenty of spare time, and a Blitz mode for when you want to accomplish something in the space of one minute. The general structure is the same, though. A letter appears on screen and you must drag or swipe it to the top or bottom of the screen. Each side is independent of the other, with you having to create words from the tiles you've flipped up or downwards. Once you've created a word, you simply double tap to clear the word and gain some points.

With a limit on 7 tiles per side, if you don't plan things well you can run out of room quite fast. Fortunately, you can discard them all and start again at a cost of letters available to you later on.

It's simple enough to learn. There are bonus tiles involved plus extra points depending on the tiles used, but nothing overly complicated. Letters of Boom also allows for the use of some slang terms, but as a seasoned word game fan I found myself generally forgetting to create such words anyhow.

Blitz mode is the superior offering, given that Classic can take some time to complete and doesn't fully lend itself to mobile gaming. Letters of Boom never quite clicks though, meaning you'll enjoy it but rarely find yourself desperate to come back for more. After a time, you realize it's mostly just another word game. A fun distraction, but nothing to remember for a while to come.