Item: Wordlike - Word Roguelike
Rating: 91
Author: Dinsun

Our Site Score

91/100

If you ever wondered what would happen if Slay the Spire and Scrabble had a baby, Wordlike is the answer. It’s a genius concept that is executed with incredible polish. Usually, word games are purely about vocabulary, but here, the tactical positioning of your cards and the timing of your big words are just as important.

What I love most is the 'progression' during a run. Finding a relic that sets enemies on fire whenever you use the letter 'S' completely changes how you look at your hand. You start hunting for words that use that letter, even if they aren't the longest ones available. It makes every turn a meaningful decision.

The art style is clean and evocative, and the interface is perfectly designed for one-handed play on a phone. It has that 'just one more run' quality that defines the best roguelikes. Whether you're a word nerd or a strategy veteran, this game is a top-tier experience.

Reviewed on: Fri Dec 27 2024

Dinsun Review

Now this is an interesting attempt at something new. Combining Scrabble with Slay the Spire is a bold move. It requires actual thought—something rare in the App Store. The strategy involved in choosing which letters to keep and which power-ups to take is genuinely engaging. However, the art style is quite poor, almost placeholder-level. The balance is also a bit off; some runs feel impossible based on the 'draw.' It’s a bit rough around the edges, but I'll take a rough original over a polished clone any day.

Overall Stats

Pros & Cons

Innovative genre mashup
High replayability
Strategic depth

Poor visuals
Steep difficulty
Unbalanced RNG

Technical Report

Performance: Occasional UI overlap on smaller screens.

Accessibility:

Audience Fit

Buy if: You like strategy games and have a strong vocabulary.

Skip if: You hate losing or prefer simple word games like Scrabble.

Similar Games:

Slay the Spire
Letter Quest

Reviewer Context

Reviewer: Dinsun
Hardware: iPhone 15 Pro
Playtime: 8 hours
Status: Reached final boss twice

The Game

Available on: iPhone, iPad, iPod

6738364965

$4.99 9+★4.8 46 reviews

Author : Roadtrip Games

Pubish Date : Fri Dec 20 2024

Last Update Date : Mon Apr 28 2025

Support Languages : English

Genres :

Version 1.8Mon Apr 28 2025

Wordlike 1.8 introduces two new Knick Knacks and some bug fixes!
New Knick Knacks
- Metronome: Gains +3 mult per consecutive word of different length. Keep switching up word lengths!
- Grappling Hook: Gains x1 mult when the word is longer than the previous word.
Bug fixes
- Dumbbell accumulated mult still applies when you play a word with blanks
- Anchor mult doesn't increment twice
- Joker copies accumulated mult on Houseplant
- Game Center access point appears on Main Menu after a win
Requires iOS 13.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
Wordlike is a word-based, roguelike deckbuilder! Make words, tune your bag of letters, and collect powerful items.
It combines the strategy and replayability of roguelike deckbuilders and the challenge and nostalgia of classic word games. If you've played Balatro, it's like Balatro with words.
Wordlike is made up of four boards, each with several levels—your goal is to beat these levels by making words. As the level target scores climb, you'll need to pick up Knick Knacks that boost your score and direct your strategy.
You'll also encounter unique, game-changing events that bolster your run, forcing you to evaluate tradeoffs, swap items, and more.
Highlights
• Endlessly Replayable: Every board is procedurally generated, so you'll constantly encounter new items, events, and bosses!
• Unique Knick Knacks: Pick up Knick Knacks at the shop between levels. Create word-based synergies based on parts of speech, letters, and more.
• Powerful Tile Enhancements: Strengthen your bag of letters with fun effects that boost their Base Points and Multipliers
• Challenging bosses: Face a variety of bosses that force you to make words without certain letters, of a certain length, or ones you've never made before.
• Unfiltered dictionary: Make words you can't say at grandma's house. Slang and abbreviations are fair game!
• Offline Play: Play the entire game on the go, no internet connection necessary.

Ratings & Reviews

4.8 out of 5 with 46 Counts

★★★★★

Age Rating 9+

Wordlike combines the strategic depth of a roguelike deck-builder with the satisfaction of a word game. Players explore procedurally generated dungeons, encountering enemies that must be defeated by spelling words from a shifting hand of letter cards. As you progress, you can 'level up' specific letters, add powerful vowels to your deck, and discover ancient artifacts that trigger special effects when you spell long or complex words. It’s a brilliant fusion of genres that rewards both vocabulary and tactical planning.

Features

Procedural dungeon generation

Deep deck-building mechanics

Challenging boss encounters

Over 100 unique artifacts to collect

Daily run challenges with leaderboards

Tips

Building a Balanced Deck

Don't just go for high-value letters like 'Z' or 'Q'. Make sure you have enough common vowels and consonants to ensure you can always spell *something*, even if it's a short word, to defend yourself.

Gameplays

Artifact Synergies

Look for artifacts that reward specific types of words. For example, some artifacts give extra armor for 5-letter words, while others deal double damage if the word starts with a vowel.