Magma Mobile has built up a rather impressive gaming collection in the Windows and Windows Phone Stores. Shuffle hit the shelves last month and is a fun, challenging word game.
Shuffle is a word scramble game where you are presented with a collection of lettered tiles and will have to shuffle them around to spell the word correctly. Shuffle has two gaming modes, three difficulty levels and a boatload of puzzle levels to take on.
Available for both Windows Phone and Windows 8 devices (including low-memory devices), Shuffle is a nice addition to the word game genre and an entertaining way to pass a little time with.
Your primary menu with Shuffle offers up options to jump into game play, view other games from Magma Mobile, share the game, follow the developer on Facebook and visit the gaming store. The gaming store has opportunities to spend the coins you earn during game play to build up your power-up inventory.
Jumping into game play you will need to choose which game mode you want to tackle and the difficulty level (easy, medium and hard). The two gaming modes include:
- Challenge: This is more of a casual paced game where you are presented with five jumbled up words to solve per level. There are 360 puzzle levels to solve in this gaming mode (120 for each difficulty level).
- Time Attack: If you need to add a little pressure to solving these word puzzles, the Time Attack mode adds a game clock to the mix. You are given two minutes to solve five word puzzles per level.
There is only one solution available for each set of letters and the game screen is fairly universal regardless of which mode you choose. The Time Attack will have the clock on the gaming screen, but both modes will have a series of power-ups lining the right side of the screen. Out of the box, Shuffle does provide you with a few power-ups but if you need more, you will need to visit the game's store.
The power-ups, moving from the top of the column to the bottom, include:
- Light bulb: This bonus will solve all the words on the screen
- Check Mark: Here you will find a bonus that will solve the word of your choosing
- Magnifying Glass: This bonus will highlight every well-placed letter in the puzzles
- Tile with the backwards arrow: This bonus highlights the first letter of the word of your choice
If you ever forget what a power-up/bonus will do, a short description will appear when you tap on a button.
The mechanics of game play are simple. Tap and slide the lettered tiles around to create the word. The Challenge mode does highlight correctly placed letters. You don't have this luxury in the Timed Attack. When you solve a word, an open book icon will appear that when tapped will pull up a dictionary page for that word. This is a nice touch should you run across a word you are not familiar with. Oh and if you are playing a Time Attack game, the game timer will pause as you read up on the word you just solved.
At the end of each level, you will be rewarded with coins. The more words you solve in the Time Attack, the larger your bounty.
Overall Impression
Shuffle is a fun word game. It isn't a very complicated game but challenging nonetheless. Personally, I think the game is better suited for the mobility of our Windows Phones, but the game also plays out nicely from a Windows 8 tablet.
My only nit with Shuffle is that the game lacks a tutorial or help screen. Again, Shuffle isn't a complicated game, but a brief help section would be a welcomed addition.
Realizing word games are not everyone's cup of tea, if you are in search for a Windows Phone or Windows 8 game to help you pass the time Shuffle is a good option to consider. At last check, Shuffle is pulling down a 4.5 Star rating in the Windows Phone Store, which is about right for this game (no ratings yet in the Windows Store).
