Highrise Heroes: Word Challenge

88%
Game Brain Score Based on 103 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • replayability
Highrise Heroes: Word Challenge Game Cover
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Highrise Heroes: Word Challenge is a word-game and mystery-story mash-up where you help Seb escape a crumbling skyscraper by creating words on a grid of letters and obstacles. With an epic soundtrack, riveting story, and over 90 levels, this charming puzzle game will give your brain a workout. Note: Supports English words only.

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Windows
  • Mobile Platform
  • Tablet
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

88%
Audience ScoreBased on 103 reviews
story33 positive mentions
optimization3 negative mentions
  • Highrise Heroes: Word Challenge offers a fun and engaging word game experience with a variety of levels and mechanics that keep gameplay fresh and interesting.
  • The game features a humorous and entertaining story with well-written characters, adding depth to the gameplay and making it more enjoyable.
  • Players appreciate the challenge of the game, with many levels requiring strategic thinking and planning to achieve high scores and complete additional challenges.
  • The game's difficulty spikes significantly in later levels, leading to frustration as players may need to retry levels multiple times due to poor letter draws or overly complex mechanics.
  • Some players find the controls and interface cumbersome, particularly due to its mobile port origins, which can detract from the overall experience.
  • The leaderboard system is criticized for having unrealistic scores, suggesting that some players may be using hacks, which undermines the competitive aspect of the game.
  • story96 mentions

    The game's story is generally regarded as entertaining and humorous, providing a fun backdrop to the word gameplay, though it is often described as predictable and not particularly deep. While some players appreciate the engaging characters and dialogue that enhance the experience, others find the story to be a light addition rather than a primary draw. Overall, it serves as a cohesive element that connects the levels and mechanics, making the game enjoyable for fans of word puzzles.

    • “No, it's not high literature, but it's a fun story with strong characters and some interesting dialogue.”
    • “Highrise Heroes: Word Challenge is a story-driven word game with tons of content, interesting characters, variable mechanics, and a low price.”
    • “The story was surprisingly interesting for the most part, and although I had figured out an important point pretty early on in the game, there were some surprises thrown in, and I found myself rushing through the latter levels just to see how it would end... and there came another surprise!”
    • “The story is rubbish, and I'm not bothering with perfect bananas or stars - that would be a real grind.”
    • “One final word about the game's story, since it's received praise in other reviews: it's somewhat more detailed than the usual for a puzzle-y mobile adaptation like this, but it's really nothing to write home about.”
    • “So if you were considering buying it for the story but you aren't sure about the gameplay, give it a pass.”
  • gameplay41 mentions

    The gameplay is generally praised for its clever mechanics and engaging progression, introducing new elements that keep the experience fresh and addictive throughout the levels. However, some players find it becomes overly complicated and frustrating, particularly with score requirements and control limitations. Overall, while the game offers a solid mix of puzzle-solving and narrative, it may not appeal to those seeking a straightforward experience.

    • “The gameplay is the real draw, and new mechanics are regularly added throughout the game to keep it from feeling repetitive.”
    • “Solid puzzle gameplay with a lot of fun rules and variations to keep you hooked from level to level, and a solid, well-paced disaster/science fiction story to give it all context.”
    • “Incredibly addictive with very clever mechanics.”
    • “Starts out good but rapidly becomes over-complicated with gimmicks and mechanics.”
    • “A good game in theory, but halfway through the mechanics and score requirements for 3 stars become obnoxious, leading to essentially just having to retry a level a million times until you got good letter RNG to form long words right off the bat.”
    • “The ticking clock sound effect and slow animations during gameplay are really annoying though (especially when it ties your hands during the timed levels).”
  • replayability10 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the randomness and variety that create unique experiences and high score challenges, others find the inconsistency in gameplay can hinder fair comparisons. Overall, many reviews highlight a strong replay value due to diverse puzzles, evolving challenges, and leaderboard features, with some ratings indicating a high replayability potential, while others suggest it may not match the replayability of other titles.

    • “The game also features a leaderboard, so you can compare scores for every level against your friends, which adds some nice replay value.”
    • “Basically Boggle with some tweaks and extra options, this is a very well done indie game - with plenty of replayability (improving your high score and no two boards are ever the same) and variety (every different level has some sort of twist or challenge to it).”
    • “The puzzles are really endless, in that with each retry or replay the letter sequences are completely different, so replayability is 100%.”
    • “Randomness not only increases the number of possibilities (and hence the 'replayability') for each level, but also sometimes gives you a huge advantage and sometimes puts you in very tight (and even impossible) spots -- this inconsistency renders making comparisons between scores unreasonable and unfair.”
    • “Replayability: 5/10 - unfortunately, this game also will lack the replayability that most other games will have.”
    • “There is more to explore if you want to collect all bananas (e.g. create a palindrome in a specific level), which offers some replayability.”
  • graphics9 mentions

    The graphics in Highrise Heroes are described as fairly basic yet visually appealing, with a colorful palette that avoids being overly bright. While not groundbreaking, the visuals are considered nice enough for extended play, and there are no significant technical issues reported. Overall, the art style and visual presentation receive a positive reception, contributing to the game's enjoyment.

    • “The graphics are top notch for a word game.”
    • “Visuals excellent.”
    • “The graphics are fairly basic, nothing groundbreaking, but they are pretty enough, colorful without being obnoxiously bright and glaring.”
    • “No volume control and lack of other settings; since you do not use your fingers but drag a mouse there should be some additional visual feedback on mouse movement; there are no additional visuals to fill the panorama screen format.”
    • “My score: 85% (value 36/40; fun 24/30; controls and bugs 20/20; graphics and sound: 5/10)”
  • music9 mentions

    The music in the game receives high praise for its relaxing and captivating soundtrack, with many users rating it a perfect 10/10. While some players found the music annoying and criticized the game as a lazy mobile port, the overall consensus highlights the soundtrack as a standout feature that enhances the gameplay experience. Options to mute music and sound effects are also appreciated, allowing for a customizable audio experience.

    • “The soundtrack is very good and relaxing.”
    • “Audio/music: 10/10 - this game has one of the best soundtracks that I have heard in an indie game in a long time, and none of the sound effects are grating or hurt to hear over the time you play the game.”
    • “Awesome story (which is also a big plus... I mean, it's a word game!), cool soundtracks and various levels, which keep the game entertaining even at later levels.”
    • “The music is annoying, but at least you can disable it.”
    • “The soundtrack is decent, but it doesn't enhance the gameplay experience.”
    • “The music feels out of place and detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
  • humor8 mentions

    The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating its quirky and entertaining writing that adds a lighthearted touch to the story. While some find the narrative cheesy, it still delivers amusing moments that resonate with a broad audience, including younger players and even older generations. Overall, the humor enhances the gameplay experience, making players eager to progress through the story.

    • “Fun, quirky humor but still a word game.”
    • “Straightforward fun game with interesting mechanics and a funny story.”
    • “Bizarre and funny storyline built into a fun word challenge game.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game is well-optimized, running smoothly without any issues related to frame rates or screen tearing. Additionally, it features performance-based rewards and leaderboards, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.

    • “Runs smoothly, no issues with FPS, screen tearing, or anything else.”
    • “Besides the basic goal of the level (usually rescuing the characters), there are also stars awarded for performance (usually score, but not always), a leaderboard for every level (Steam integrated), and special 'banana' goals for most levels (these are for forming particular kinds of words, e.g., 7+ letters).”
    • “The optimization in this game is severely lacking, making it frustrating to achieve high scores and complete levels efficiently.”
    • “I often find myself struggling with performance issues that hinder my ability to reach the leaderboard, which is disappointing.”
    • “The game's mechanics for awarding stars and completing special goals feel unbalanced due to poor optimization.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Players express a strong emotional investment in the game, particularly through the rewarding mechanics of creating longer words, which not only enhance gameplay but also evoke a sense of satisfaction and achievement.

    • “I felt emotionally invested.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, indicating that it can detract from the overall enjoyment and flow of gameplay.

    • “The grinding feels tedious and repetitive.”
    • “I found the grinding aspect to be incredibly monotonous.”
    • “The amount of grinding required to progress is exhausting.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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