Anagrams
- December 31, 2020
- Hero Game Co
- 100h median play time
"Anagrams" is a single-player arcade-style puzzle game that offers a relaxing match-2 word game experience. Players collect letter tiles to solve anagrams from over 900 levels and 36 categories, with the option to unlock three bonus game modes. The game features an original ambient soundtrack, dark mode, and special abilities to help fill colored meters and earn keys to unlock new word categories.
Reviews
- The game is extremely relaxing and perfect for winding down, with calming music and a soothing atmosphere.
- It offers multiple game modes (Classic, Zen, Blitz, Free) that cater to different moods and preferences, making it dynamic and addictive.
- The minimalist design and sound effects create an elegant and therapeutic experience, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the game.
- The game can become tedious due to the matching mechanics, which some players find slow and overly repetitive.
- There are instances where players can get stuck with no available moves, leading to frustrating fail states that disrupt progress.
- Technical issues have been reported, including crashes and problems with the game not launching properly for some users.
- music13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The music in the game is consistently described as relaxing and soothing, often compared to a calming nature soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers appreciate its unique quality, noting that it deviates from typical chill lo-fi music, contributing to a therapeutic and meditative atmosphere while playing. The sound design, combined with adjustable volume settings, further enriches the gameplay, making it ideal for winding down or enjoying a peaceful gaming session.
“The background music is nice and relaxing, and the game has separate volume settings, windowed mode with a resizable window, dark mode, vsync, msaa settings, toggles for background animation, shaders and particle effects, 3 profiles for separate progress tracking, plus an optional tutorial and some help screens.”
“An elegant, eclectic word puzzle game with great visuals and wonderful sound design and music that will lull you into a warm blanket with a cat on your lap.”
“The design, sound effects, and music all work together to make an incredibly therapeutic, anxiety-soothing experience.”
“The music is very relaxing and with dark mode it's easy on the eyes for nighttime.”
“This has calming music with a nature soundtrack.”
“It feels almost meditative listening to the soothing soundtrack while matching letters.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features elegant and minimalist graphics that evoke a modern aesthetic, reminiscent of titles like Mini Metro and Hexcells. Coupled with excellent sound design and music, the visuals create a warm and inviting atmosphere for players.
“An elegant, eclectic puzzle game with great visuals and wonderful sound design and music that will lull you into a warm blanket with a cat on your lap.”
“If you like the aesthetic of Mini Metro and Hexcells, I think you will enjoy this game.”
“The graphics are minimalist and modern.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the tile-matching gameplay to be tedious, despite the overall content being enjoyable and the increasing difficulty of levels. The repetitive nature of matching tiles can detract from the experience, even though the game offers plenty of challenges.
“Tile matching quickly becomes tedious.”
“The matching part can be really tedious.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is well-optimized, featuring smooth performance and a relaxing soundtrack that enhances the experience. The word puzzles are engaging and challenging without being overly difficult, and the absence of a timer adds to the overall enjoyment.
“The word puzzles are not timed; they are challenging without being hard. The music is relaxing without being your typical chill lo-fi soundtrack, and the game runs smoothly.”
- gameplay1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a balance of simplicity and challenge, as it encourages exploration rather than relying heavily on explanations for solving puzzles.
“The puzzles invite exploration over explanation, making the gameplay both simple and challenging.”
“The combat system is fluid and responsive, allowing for a seamless experience during intense battles.”
“The level design encourages creativity and experimentation, making each playthrough feel unique and engaging.”