Capsule Review: Word Laces
A simple and relaxing casual puzzle game providing a continual series of little 'aha' moments.
A casual puzzle game in which you string together word fragments in the right order to spell words related to an image. There’s not a lot of depth and once you’ve seen a few puzzles you’ve basically seen it all, but it works well as a way to relax for a few minutes here and there.
Each puzzle presents a photograph or drawing and several word fragments ranging in length from single letters to entire syllables. There’s always at least one word related to the image waiting to be found - it may be a literal descriptor of something depicted in the image; it may be a more abstract concept evoked by the image. For example, a photo of someone under a lit bulb might use both the words “light” and “inspiration”. The player must string together word fragments to spell the related word; this clears the selected fragments and replaces them with new ones so the player can find the next word. Each image has several words; once the last word is spelled the player moves on to the next puzzle.
The game ships with one thousand puzzles plus a series of “daily puzzles” adding a new unique puzzle every day. A bit of extra variety is added via cosmetic unlocks - as you complete puzzles, you periodically unlock new shoes. These vary considerably in style, though the only effect they have is to change the background and the shoelaces that indicate which word fragments have been strung together.
It’s a simple game, but it’s relaxing and provides a continual series of little aha moments. It’s well-suited to Apple Arcade and I found it a good way to pass time waiting in line or to unwind before bed.
I Stopped Playing When: I trailed off after 270 of the 1000 base puzzles and maybe a dozen daily puzzles. But I probably would have kept playing periodically if my main phone supported Apple Arcade.
Two Stars: Meh. The game has some merit - it probably held my attention for at least an hour or I came back to it for more than one play session. But there wasn't enough draw for me to stick with it for the long haul.