Top 5 word-based puzzlers on mobile

The puzzler is undoubtedly the most popular genre on mobile, but if you break the genre down into its constituent parts, word-based puzzlers are curiously under-represented.

What’s the reason for that, I wonder? Is it a sign of plummeting literacy rates among mobile gaming youths? Or just that we prefer the pretty colours and fireworks of the all-conquering match-three puzzler?

Who knows. Personally, I love a good word based puzzle game, from the timeless Scrabble onwards. Here are five of the best on mobile.

This golden oldie (well, it’s two years old) does exactly what you’d expect of a game called Wordoku – it’s essentially Sudoku with words.

While the game plays out almost identically to its number focused parent, the twist comes in the implementation of letters. Each board in Wordoku spells out a nine-letter word diagonally from corner to corner, which provides a link to deciphering three definite placements within three of the mini-squares.

By marrying the numerical brilliance of Sudoku to the joy of a good old fashioned cross word, Wordoku manages to form a puzzler that should appeal to everyone.

RealNetworks set itself quite a challenge with Scrabble Remix – how to distil Scrabble into a form more suitable for bite-sized mobile play, while still retaining the appeal and the much loved signifiers of the host game.

It rises to the challenge brilliantly, offering up a series of Scrabble-themed mini-games. Each is based around the idea of finding multiple words from a collection of random letters – which is, after all, at the heart of Scrabble.

While it could never match the brilliance of Scrabble itself (more of that later), Scrabble Remix is an excellent mobile word puzzler in its own right.

Another classic selection, Digital Chocolate’s Café Crosswords remains one of if not the finest representation of everybody’s favourite form of word puzzle.

The developer sets out to inject a little coffee-shop cool to the humble crossword, however. As the title hints at, the game contains a café hub, which can be fully customised with funds won from the puzzles themselves.

And these puzzles are brilliantly realised, with intuitive controls and clean, uncluttered presentation. Thoughtful features such as highlighting correct letters in green take much of the frustration out of the crossword form, making this a perfect entry point for crossword virgins.

The fact that Scrabble is the undisputed king of physical word games was no guarantee of its success as a mobile game. The difference in pace and the lack of tactile appeal could well have derailed this conversion.

It hasn’t, though. Mr Goodliving has done a splendid job in replicating much of the classic boardgame’s appeal thanks largely to intuitive controls and sharp AI for compelling solo play.

But it’s the thoughtfully incorporated extras that make this such an accomplished mobile puzzler. Solitaire turns the game into an excellent crossword alternative, while Quick mode pre-empts Scrabble Remix by ditching the board and asking you to find as many words as you can. An essential purchase for word game fans.

String ‘em In adopts the same basic concept as Scrabble Remix – that of forming as many words as possible from a jumble of random letters – but widens both the scope and visual appeal by setting it on a large grid of letters.

As you spot and select words on the grid, wordsearch style (though they can twist and snake around in any direction), they disappear, causing letters on top to slot into the gaps. It’s a bit like a game of word-Tetris, in that respect.

Brief double score periods and pre-selected bonus words add to the game’s appeal, making this one of the most enjoyable and refreshing mobile puzzle games – word-based or otherwise - we’ve played for some time.