Words Can Kill

About

"Words Can Kill" is a roguelike deckbuilder and word game hybrid, where success hinges on decision-making and resource management, not vocabulary. Engage in strategic combat, plan future moves, and manage RNG as you travel through a fantasy world, upgrading your deck along the way. Simple mechanics combine with deep strategy, offering a challenging and rewarding experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 75 reviews

gameplay4 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game combines elements of Scrabble and roguelike deck-building, offering a unique and engaging gameplay experience.
Players appreciate the strategic depth and variety in gameplay, with different character classes and equipment that influence play styles.
The developer is responsive to community feedback, and the game has potential for future updates and improvements.

The game suffers from significant balance issues, with many players feeling that RNG heavily influences outcomes, leading to frustrating experiences.
The word list is limited and lacks many acceptable words, which can detract from the enjoyment for avid word game players.
The user interface and mechanics are clunky, making it difficult to manage tiles and actions effectively during gameplay.

gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of solid mechanics and frustrating elements. While the core gameplay, which combines deckbuilding with spelling, is praised for its fun and depth, many players find the mechanics clunky and punishing, leading to repetitive experiences. Additionally, issues such as limited dictionaries and unclear mechanics detract from the overall enjoyment, suggesting that while the foundation is strong, execution needs refinement.
- “The gameplay idea of combining deckbuilding with spelling is neat, and I do think it can work well.”
- “It's like Bookworm, but more in-depth with a bunch of fun mechanics that work very well together.”
- “The fight mechanics were good and fine, with only one substantial gripe: enemies disarming your shield.”
- “The mechanics are clunky and not straightforward.”
- “Some mechanics are just too punishing (e.g. flooding the deck with empty tiles and 0-cost tiles) while others are barely a nuisance (most curses).”
- “The gameplay idea (combining deckbuilding with spelling) is neat and I do think it can work well, but the way it was executed leaves a lot to be desired.”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players finding the art style unappealing or reminiscent of mid-2000s flash games, while others appreciate its charm and uniqueness. Despite the varied opinions on aesthetics, many agree that the gameplay mechanics are solid and engaging, suggesting that the graphics do not detract from the overall experience. Overall, the visuals may not be cutting-edge, but they serve the game's depth and strategy well.
- “The artwork is charming and no two games are the same.”
- “Don't let the mid-2000's flash game aesthetics deter you, this game has a great amount of depth and strategy behind its cartoon facade.”
- “I think graphics are good and I don't usually care too much about looks when it comes to what I play.”
- “Graphics aside, because one person made this, it's unrealistic to expect much more from what I think is their first game. The board you interact with all the time and the tiles, and pretty much everything just doesn't feel responsive enough.”
- “Skip if you're looking for fast-paced, heart-racing combat and/or the highest fidelity graphics to test your latest rig.”
- “The art style doesn't quite appeal to me, but the gameplay looks really cool.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game's story is described as minimal, with some players feeling it lacks depth and context for the gameplay, while others appreciate its epic potential. There are calls for an expansion of the narrative and a more immersive experience through named encounters and a broader dictionary. Overall, the story aspect is seen as an area with room for improvement.
- “Epic story.”
- “Moral of the story, you never know what life holds in store for you, and if I would have given up when all the odds were stacked against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “This game has no story.”
- “When starting a new run, there isn't much story as to why I'm fighting all the creatures, and it's a little difficult to prepare a word by leaving letters in the shield or sword for the next turn because you end up preventing yourself from spelling some words in the beginning.”
- “I would still love to see an expansion of the story, and an expansion of the dictionary available, names given to the encounters on the map to make me feel like I'm in a place.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
Users consistently highlight the game's high replayability, noting it as "infinitely replayable" and suggesting that additional features could enhance the experience even further. Overall, players find the game highly enjoyable to revisit.
- “Infinitely replayable.”
- “Some additions to make the game more enjoyable and replayable.”
- “So replayable!!”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The music in the game is noted for its calming and relaxing qualities, providing players with a sense of reassurance and tranquility during gameplay.
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes to this music long enough to realize that I was going to be okay.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a charming blend of cute humor and clever British slang, enhancing its unique roguelike deckbuilding experience. Players appreciate how the humor contributes to the overall balance and enjoyment of the game.
- “A unique roguelike deckbuilder with some cute humor.”
- “The dictionary works well for the game balance, and I find the number of British slang words hilarious!”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players highlight the importance of optimization in "Slay the Spire," noting that mastering various strategies and tricks can significantly enhance performance, particularly in speedrunning scenarios.
- “I used to do speedruns of Slay the Spire, and I am very familiar with the optimizations and little tricks you can do in games like this that push a run from a fail to a win.”