Wordament® by Microsoft

About

Wordament® by Microsoft is a free, casual word search puzzle game that offers wonderful game mechanics, but can be marred by numerous ads, bugs, and a grinding system that may emotionally affect some players. Despite its drawbacks, the game promotes vocabulary building and provides a platform for friendly competition.

Genres & Tags

Casual

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

49%

Audience ScoreBased on 940 reviews

graphics11 positive mentions

monetization303 negative mentions

The game is fun and challenging, providing a good mental workout.
Daily challenges and adventure modes add variety and keep the gameplay interesting.
The game has a clean interface and is easy to navigate.

The recent update has introduced intrusive ads that are long and difficult to close.
Many players have experienced issues with cloud syncing, resulting in lost progress.
The new version has been criticized for being cluttered and less responsive compared to the original.

monetization
310 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn significant criticism from users, primarily due to the excessive and intrusive nature of the ads. Many players report long, unskippable ads that often redirect them to the app store, creating a frustrating experience that detracts from gameplay. Additionally, the lack of a one-time purchase option to remove ads, instead requiring a subscription, has further fueled dissatisfaction among users who feel that the monetization approach is overly aggressive and detrimental to the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “I liked the color options and there were no ads.”
- “I love this game so much I purchased it for a year with no ads.”
- “Even the yearly subscription for $9.99 is a steal to have no ads and get bonuses.”
- “The ads are ridiculously long and forceful, usually taking 30+ seconds before you can click 'X'.”
- “It's preposterous to make someone get a monthly/yearly subscription to remove ads.”
- “The advertising is so overwhelming it ruins the overall enjoyment of what could be a good game.”
graphics
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
62%
17%
The graphics have received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many users describing them as cheap, distracting, and reminiscent of outdated designs from the 90s. Players express frustration over the new visuals impacting gameplay responsiveness and overall enjoyment, with calls for a return to the previous, more minimalistic aesthetic. While a few users appreciate the new graphics, the consensus leans towards a desire for simpler, less obtrusive visuals that enhance rather than detract from the gaming experience.
- “The old art style was sleek, minimalistic, and lent itself perfectly to the gameplay, creating a focused experience.”
- “Graphics are nice and gameplay is very smooth.”
- “Love the graphics and wide array of words.”
- “The graphics are now from the 90s.”
- “Graphics feel cheap, messy, juvenile.”
- “The graphics and gameplay are infinitely much worse, and the game looks like it was made by some 5-year-old Thai programmers.”
music
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
81%
13%
The music in the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many users frustrated by its inability to be turned off despite settings indicating otherwise. Players report that the background music and sound effects often play at full volume unexpectedly, disrupting their experience, especially when they are listening to other audio. Additionally, the music is described as annoying and distracting, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “Fun game with intuitive controls and relaxing background music.”
- “I love the theme music and sounds too.”
- “The music isn't annoying, the graphics aren't all cutesy, there's no timer.”
- “The background music along with sound and visual effects are far too distracting and border on annoying.”
- “My issue with this game is that even though I have the music and sound effects turned off, it will still play the music and sound effects at full blast.”
- “Annoying music playing in the background, plus it was hard to get it to mute.”
gameplay
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
47%
21%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many users expressing disappointment over recent updates that have introduced lag, cluttered visuals, and a less responsive interface, detracting from the previously smooth and enjoyable experience. While some appreciate the addition of new modes and daily challenges, the core gameplay has been criticized for becoming clunky and frustrating, leading to a decline in overall enjoyment. Despite these issues, the game still offers a variety of options for casual play, but many long-time players feel that the changes have significantly diminished its appeal.
- “On the plus side - fun game, good daily challenges, lots of gameplay to be had.”
- “This game would get a much higher rating because the gameplay itself is great.”
- “I enjoy the simple but varied gameplay options.”
- “It's nice to have the new variations to play, but the mechanics are complete garbage.”
- “What's the point of garbage new features if it makes the core gameplay a clunky, unresponsive, jarring mess?”
- “Now it has an unnecessarily complicated gameplay and a cluttered and slow UI.”
stability
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with users frequently reporting bugs that cause freezing, glitches, and crashes, particularly during key gameplay moments. Many players have experienced being stuck in levels or unable to progress due to these technical problems, leading to frustration and a loss of enjoyment despite their overall appreciation for the game. Overall, the game's stability is a major concern, detracting from the overall experience.
- “Really like the game, but lost a couple of stars because it freezes and needs restarting quite often on my Android phone.”
- “I dig this game a lot, but sometimes it glitches and stops counting points, or gets stuck in a level and won't let me out.”
- “The app constantly freezes and had to close the app every time I finished a game.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
36%
36%
Overall, the optimization of the game has received largely negative feedback, with users reporting sluggish performance, a poor user interface, and intrusive ads. While some improvements have been noted, such as the ability to disable certain notifications, many players feel that the game has compromised performance for additional features, leading to a less satisfying experience compared to previous versions.
- “There's still room for performance improvement, but the major update added a bunch of things that were missing in the original, like offline play.”
- “The performance is now better, and they've given us the ability to turn off the annoying messages when making words, so it's definitely a step in the right direction.”
- “I'd go back to 'classic' Wordament if that were an option... snappier performance, more satisfying experience.”
- “And the performance is awful.”
- “They compromised on performance and that is a poor decision.”
- “Ads are annoying, the game is ruined by a terrible new UI, it runs slowly, doesn't support the same number of languages, and the puzzle layout is messed up.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding the narrative elements tedious and unengaging, while others appreciate the inclusion of daily challenges and a classic mode. However, the overall sentiment leans towards disappointment, particularly regarding the lack of depth in the story mode and issues with score syncing and leaderboard visibility.
- “The daily challenge and single player story are both nice alternatives to have, and the classic mode is still intact, so what's the problem?”
- “Story mode is laughably boring.”
- “I don't like it when games expect me to share my life story just to play the game.”
- “The quest section is boring and you can't look at the leaderboards and see your total score like you could before the update.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
80%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some enjoy the challenge of collecting achievements, others feel that it becomes tedious, especially in later levels where forming simple words can feel repetitive. There are also concerns about the pacing and difficulty of puzzles, with a desire for more engaging challenges rather than monotonous tasks.
- “It is not tedious like some games that require you to come up with a ridiculous number of words.”
- “The grinding feels rewarding and keeps me engaged without feeling like a chore.”
- “I appreciate how the game balances grinding with meaningful progression, making each session enjoyable.”
- “Now the letters have gaps between, and it is slow and tedious to get it to 'take' a word.”
- “Ok, but it gets tedious in later levels where you are left trying to rack up points with three-letter 'words' like aah, ays, edh, dah, zas... audio has a bug.”
- “I wish the puzzles were more challenging than tedious, though.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by users expressing feelings of heartbreak and disappointment, indicating that the narrative or experience deeply resonated with them. Many felt a strong connection to the game's community elements, which enhanced their emotional investment. Overall, the emotional impact is significant, leading some players to step away from the game due to its intensity.
- “That was really a nice touch in the original game and made me feel like part of an international community.”
- “It's heartbreaking, so I won't be playing anymore.”
- “Microsoft, I am heartbreakingly disappointed.”