Word Spin (iPhone) Review
Posted by Joshua Richey on 11.02.2009
The award winning puzzle game comes to the iPhone.
Title: Word Spin
Publisher: Geospace International
Developer: RougeSheep
Players: 1+
Genre: Puzzle
Rated: 4+
Word Spin is a new game for the iPod Touch/iPhone that is based off of the popular magnetic hand held by the same name. The goal is pretty simple: you have a number of wheels that have letters pasted all over them. You’ll spin these wheels and then try to find as many words as you can. The bigger the word, the more points you’ll receive. The original game has sold millions and been translated in over 10 languages. On top of that, the game has won several awards, including Best Mind Game of the Year.
For fans of the Word Spin hand held, Word Spin on the iPhone/iPod Touch is a great purchase. The game, which will set you back $2-3, allows fans of the original to have the same experience that the $30 hand held offers.
Word Spin offers up three different modes to play: Practice, Solitaire, and Challenge. In Practice you’ll get to do just that. You select the number of wheels that you want and then the game will show you all of the words that you missed at the end of the round. In Solitaire you’ll try to find as many words as you can and set your high-score. Challenge Mode is the most impressive feature of the three. If you’ve got a friend that also has a copy of Word Spin, this mode allows you to arrange the wheels of letters however you like and then send it to a friend for them to try to solve.
Now I’m recommending Word Spin, but only to those that have played the game before. For Word Spin noobs like me, the game is going to be very, very frustrating. The learning curve is a lot steeper than you’d think. At the end of each round, the game will tell you that you’ve missed X number of words. But when those words are revealed, that’s when you’re going to get frustrated.
You're going to wonder why words like "YAR", "AK", and "NIDS" are considered words. There are also some words, especially names, that you'll find and the game won't recognize it. It's not a perfect game. But it is a relaxing game that you'll have fun with during down time.
Graphics
8.0
You're staring at letter wheels the entire game, but everything does look crisp.
Gameplay
8.0
Easy to navigate menus, very smooth controls. Works exactly like it should.
Sound
7.0
There's not much to hear, really.
Lasting Appeal
6.0
The game not recognizing some words is a real bummer. But it won't stop you from playing it.
Fun Factor
7.0
Word Spin is going to be fun for people familiar with the hand held, but newcomers will have to be patient to get into it.
