Overview: Words for Evil is a cross between a word game and an RPG*. Start off with a single character and journey your way through a world with treasure, enemies, shopkeepers and traps.
*RPG elements include gaining experience, buying potions, buying equipment, and leveling up skills. However, these mechanisms are simple and secondary to the experience. Ultimately Words for Evil is more of a word game with RPG elements than a word game slash RPG.
Words for Evil (PC) (2014)
Relevant Links:
Words for Evil Website
Words for Evil (Steam Store Page)
Words for Evil (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
20150325 Afternoon:
Today I played Words for Evil while on a plane. Unfortunately, while the game made for a short diversion on the plane, I don't think Words for Evil has any long-term potential for enjoyment.
Tips/Discoveries:
1) When you buy potions, you can only use them outside of battle. Make sure to plan ahead.
2) [20151024: When there are members with only one ability, short words are better. Later when multiple party members have multiple abilities, it becomes beneficial to form longer words (preferably in the center of the board).]
20151024 Afternoon:
Today I played more of Words for Evil. And as I played more and more, I realized that perhaps the game had more entertainment value than I gave credit to it. With that being said, the game might be a bit too minimalist for me. For example, items stack their bonuses - which is great - but it'd be kind of cool to look at a list of all the items on a character.
Tips/Discoveries Continued:
3) Equipment bonuses stack. In other words, you only buy equipment for their bonuses, you don't actually equip them in a traditional RPG fashion.
4) At most three members can be in a party.
5) At most three potions can be stored. In other words, a slot must be empty before you reach the shop in order to make a new purchase.
6) The benefit of long words is that they clear more of the board, and thus more of the colored tiles, and thus stronger abilities get triggered.
I tested picking up the Mountain King and dropping the Swordmaster. I did this to test whether or not the Swordmaster would have his upgraded skills the next time I encountered him. Answer: Yes, the Swordmaster had all the abilities I had given him the next time I encountered him.
7) You keep all your experience when you die.
8) My failed strategy was swapping out my healer and trying to level two lower level characters alongside my first character. This led to a dragged out lost of my party. That's how I discovered #7. You do, however, lose all your gold.
9) I read in a thread that if you choose to stay on a level, you just remain in that level until you die. This felt true, as the next time I encountered the book was after dying.
10) It's not worth giving the Forest Shaman any attack damage because she only has one attack. If anything, just make sure she has armor so that you can use the heals on other party members.
20151024 Evening:
I beat the final level today at about the 5 hour and 40 minute mark.
Summary:
In the end, I would modify what I said about lacking "long-term potential for enjoyment." Having spent four hours with it today, I'd be a hypocrite for saying otherwise.
A quick visit to howlongtobeat.com provided the following: it took one user 6.5 to complete the main story, 11 hours for another user to complete it with 100%, and 17.5 hours for yet another user to complete it with 100%.
In any case, if you enjoy anagrams and other word-related puzzles, then you'll probably get at least three hours of fun out Words for Evil. Even if you don't get hours of enjoyment, Words for Evil is most certainly a refreshing addition to the word game genre.
[20151024]
FAQ:
Q: Where can I get official help?
A: The game features a "How to Play" section at the menu screen.
Q: What's the point of leveling up?
A: Leveling up allows a character to upgrade his/her skills at the next fountain. You can upgrade any skill you want.
Q: How does eliminating adjacent tiles work?
A: Four letter words eliminate adjacent tiles. Five letter words eliminate adjacent tiles and those adjacent to them. Six letter words eliminate adjacent tiles and those adjacent to them and those adjacent to those. And so on and so forth. (Horizontal/vertical adjacency only)
Q: Do items stack?
A: Yes, they do.
Q: What are the stats?
A: More strength is more HP, more agility is more damage, more mana is more skill tiles, more luck is more gold.
Q: How does the party system work?
A: Up to three members can be in the party. When a character is swapped out, he/she will have all his/her upgrades the next time you encounter him/her.
[20151024]
*RPG elements include gaining experience, buying potions, buying equipment, and leveling up skills. However, these mechanisms are simple and secondary to the experience. Ultimately Words for Evil is more of a word game with RPG elements than a word game slash RPG.
Words for Evil (PC) (2014)
 |
| This six-letter word in the cente will nearly clear the entire board. |
Relevant Links:
Words for Evil Website
Words for Evil (Steam Store Page)
Words for Evil (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
 |
| My primary character. |
20150325 Afternoon:
Today I played Words for Evil while on a plane. Unfortunately, while the game made for a short diversion on the plane, I don't think Words for Evil has any long-term potential for enjoyment.
 |
| Potion Shop |
Tips/Discoveries:
1) When you buy potions, you can only use them outside of battle. Make sure to plan ahead.
2) [20151024: When there are members with only one ability, short words are better. Later when multiple party members have multiple abilities, it becomes beneficial to form longer words (preferably in the center of the board).]
 |
| Item Shop |
20151024 Afternoon:
Today I played more of Words for Evil. And as I played more and more, I realized that perhaps the game had more entertainment value than I gave credit to it. With that being said, the game might be a bit too minimalist for me. For example, items stack their bonuses - which is great - but it'd be kind of cool to look at a list of all the items on a character.
Tips/Discoveries Continued:
3) Equipment bonuses stack. In other words, you only buy equipment for their bonuses, you don't actually equip them in a traditional RPG fashion.
4) At most three members can be in a party.
5) At most three potions can be stored. In other words, a slot must be empty before you reach the shop in order to make a new purchase.
6) The benefit of long words is that they clear more of the board, and thus more of the colored tiles, and thus stronger abilities get triggered.
I tested picking up the Mountain King and dropping the Swordmaster. I did this to test whether or not the Swordmaster would have his upgraded skills the next time I encountered him. Answer: Yes, the Swordmaster had all the abilities I had given him the next time I encountered him.
 |
| Figure out the anagram to revive. I couldn't figure this one out... The game will give you the answer. |
7) You keep all your experience when you die.
8) My failed strategy was swapping out my healer and trying to level two lower level characters alongside my first character. This led to a dragged out lost of my party. That's how I discovered #7. You do, however, lose all your gold.
9) I read in a thread that if you choose to stay on a level, you just remain in that level until you die. This felt true, as the next time I encountered the book was after dying.
 |
| XP gained is never lossed. |
10) It's not worth giving the Forest Shaman any attack damage because she only has one attack. If anything, just make sure she has armor so that you can use the heals on other party members.
20151024 Evening:
I beat the final level today at about the 5 hour and 40 minute mark.
Summary:
In the end, I would modify what I said about lacking "long-term potential for enjoyment." Having spent four hours with it today, I'd be a hypocrite for saying otherwise.
A quick visit to howlongtobeat.com provided the following: it took one user 6.5 to complete the main story, 11 hours for another user to complete it with 100%, and 17.5 hours for yet another user to complete it with 100%.
In any case, if you enjoy anagrams and other word-related puzzles, then you'll probably get at least three hours of fun out Words for Evil. Even if you don't get hours of enjoyment, Words for Evil is most certainly a refreshing addition to the word game genre.
 |
| What words do you see? |
[20151024]
FAQ:
Q: Where can I get official help?
A: The game features a "How to Play" section at the menu screen.
Q: What's the point of leveling up?
A: Leveling up allows a character to upgrade his/her skills at the next fountain. You can upgrade any skill you want.
 |
| Page 1 of 10 of the How to Play section. |
Q: How does eliminating adjacent tiles work?
A: Four letter words eliminate adjacent tiles. Five letter words eliminate adjacent tiles and those adjacent to them. Six letter words eliminate adjacent tiles and those adjacent to them and those adjacent to those. And so on and so forth. (Horizontal/vertical adjacency only)
Q: Do items stack?
A: Yes, they do.
 |
| After the end of my first play session. |
Q: What are the stats?
A: More strength is more HP, more agility is more damage, more mana is more skill tiles, more luck is more gold.
Q: How does the party system work?
A: Up to three members can be in the party. When a character is swapped out, he/she will have all his/her upgrades the next time you encounter him/her.
[20151024]
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