ruzzleFormat: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

Developer: Mag Interactive

US iTunes, App Store, iBookstore, and Mac App Store

Ruzzle is a very interesting puzzle game and one that had me hooked for a while. I think that I am not really into puzzle games like this. You know ones with words does that make me a moron? Perhaps, but while I say this I do spend quite a bit of time playing games like this so there must be something about them. I have played many games similar this in the past, but for some reason Ruzzle really pulled me in. And I am going to try my best to figure out why. I am clearly not the only person who is under the Ruzzle spell because as of me writing this the game has over 5 million people playing it around the world.

I like to talk about the presentation of a game first, but this is one game that I really have nothing to say. There is a blue screen, some letter tiles and the word up top and that is pretty much it. To be honest a game like this does not need any kind of gimmicks. And I actually really do like the simplicity of the games graphics. Some times I hate when a puzzle game fills the screen with unnecessary images. There are a few nice animations that will play out, but it is very understated and never takes away from the game.

So what the heck do I have to do in Ruzzle? Well let me answer that for you. Ruzzle is a fast paced word game that will have you going crazy. It is a very exciting game to play. You see each round you will have some letter tiles and you will need to write as many words as you can in the allocated time. There is a couple of catches here. One is that you are against the clock and the second is that you need to swipe your finger so the letters need to be connected to each other in order to spell the word.

As you are against the clock it can get quite nerve wracking and you will find yourself making many stupid mistakes as you try to go as fast as you can. I found that I got a much higher score when I stayed calm (easier said than done!) and went at a reasonable pace.

What I love is the social aspect as you can play against your friends and challenge them to a game. Which is so satisfying when you beat them and taunt them with various childish names. Not that I am condoning that kind of thing of course. If you think that your buddies lack the intellect to give you a decent challenge then you can play against random people from around the world.

For what on paper sounds like such a simple game. Ruzzle is one of the most addictive games I have played on my iPad in a very long time. Even if your friends are not into it at first I am sure once you get them to try the game once they will be hooked.

US iTunes, App Store, iBookstore, and Mac App Store