Scrabble Blast: what kind of game is it?
Scrabble Blast is an old-school puzzle game released in 2004. If you first look at its interface, you might decide this is a game for children, but this is not entirely true. Yes, it will be useful for young players who are learning letters and words: in this case, Scrabble Blast will turn into an educational and developmental game. But still, the puzzle will appeal more to older gamers who will fully appreciate its complexity and gameplay.
Initially, Scrabble Blast may seem like a difficult and incomprehensible game. Indeed, a table consisting of random letters with numbers at the bottom may raise questions at the initial stage of the game. When I first saw Scrabble Blast, I decided that it was the periodic table. After reading the rules of the game, I still did not immediately understand how to play it.
It would seem that there is something difficult here. Make words from adjacent letters, connecting them horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. But how do you do it? What are the numbers next to the letters? And who is this strange little man in blue sneakers who is suspiciously friendly? Let’s figure it out together.
First impressions of the Scrabble Blast interface
I decided that it was enough to degrade, mindlessly scrolling through the YouTube feed and reading an endless amount of news. I need to start developing. I wanted to play word puzzles, but I was tired of Words of Wonders. And I didn’t have a magazine with charades at hand. I remembered the existence of the old Scrabble Blast puzzle. Now you can hang out here for many hours! I decided to play Scrabble Blast on Funky Potato.
Scrabble Blast: How to Play It?
I played Scrabble Blast and figured out the instructions, which I will gladly provide you with.
First, go to the Funky Potato website and type “Scrabble Blast” into the search engine. You will see a description of the game, its icon, and a big red “Play” button, which you need to click.
You will be taken to the main menu with the only button “Start”. After that, a funny brown square in sneakers will greet you in the game with a smile and will explain the rules of the game quite succinctly. They are not very clear to us yet, since we have not seen Scrabble Blast itself. Press “Play” again.
The game field opens in front of us. On the right side is a 7×7 table with squares depicting different letters of the English alphabet, with numbers located near them. On the left side of the game field is a beige rectangle on which the words we find will be displayed. Nearby is a cheerful weirdo who experiences 3 emotions: great joy when you knock out a combo or a long word (he also jumps up), thoughtfulness (when you find the word incorrectly), and a smile (the rest of the time).
The little character does not play a role in Scrabble Blast, he acts as an animation. Above the weirdo is a white rectangle on which your record is displayed, as well as a white oval “exchange” (can only be used once per game, while all the letters on the playing field are replaced with others). Also, this part of the screen displays your level (you get a new level as soon as you find 10 words) and records (how many points you earn during the whole game). Click on “Hint” if you need a little hint on the game strategy and “New game” if you want to start all over again.
So, we are on level 1. You need to make words from adjacent letters. The longer the word, the more points we get for it. You can make words by moving vertically, horizontally, and diagonally (this can happen simultaneously), holding down the left mouse button, or by clicking on the letters one by one and clicking on “Score” at the end so that the word is counted. Next to each letter, there is a number that indicates the number of points you will get if you use this letter in your word.
For example, I find “Ant” on the table and get 3 points for it, because each letter is worth 1 point. Rare letters, such as W, Z, Y, U, and so on are considered more valuable because it is more difficult to make words with them.
On the playing field, you may have noticed letters on a multi-colored background that stand out from the others. These are bonus cells that lead to doubling or tripling the points for a letter or word. Look closely at the screenshot below. For using the letter “R” in a word, which is on a blue background, we will be given not 2 points, but 4 (double letter). Therefore, I advise you to use bonus fields as much as possible to get more points per level.
The game wouldn’t be a puzzle if it didn’t have some complications. In Scrabble Blast, we’re expecting tricky bombs that need to be defused. After all, every move that doesn’t involve it will lead to it gradually falling one cell down and exploding if it falls below the table. Therefore, I advise you to defuse it as soon as a bomb appears, making words with it, as I did. I found “Clip” and detonated the bomb, which was on the cell with the letter “L”. By the way, note that I’ve already reached level 3 and scored 303 points, and my words have become much longer and heavier.
Once you make 10 words, you complete the level and move on to the next one. The funny weirdo is happy and congratulates you, showing your overall score and the level score, as well as the best word that got the most points.
Honest review and general impressions of Scrabble Blast
I liked Scrabble Blast. For fans of puzzles and word games, this is a real find. The interface design is old and outdated, but here the emphasis is not on the graphics and their quality, but on the essence itself – making words. I liked that there are no time limits on the level: you can sit all day looking for intricate interweaving of letters. Bombs add liveliness, interest, and even excitement to Scrabble Blast. It becomes especially scary when they reach the bottom of the playing field.
I will outline the pros and cons of Scrabble Blast.
Pros of the puzzle:
- Scrabble Blast is free.
- The design is pleasant for the eyes. Although the game has colorful elements, they do not get boring, the eyes do not get tired of them.
- There are no time limits.
- The game develops attentiveness, logical thinking, and perseverance and makes the brain work better.
- Thanks to the scoring system, there is an interest in creating large and complex words.
- The funny weirdo’s reaction to bingo and the effects that accompany it motivate and improve your mood.
- No annoying music or ads.
- The gameplay is simple enough that children can play Scrabble Blast.
- A useful educational game for the youngest players.
- Improves your psychological state. Some monotony of the puzzle calms you down and makes you focus on finding words, not on your problems.
