Off the AppStore: Vocabulary as artillery in Wordsword

• Use your vocabulary to build an endless tower of words
• Rearrange letters in four magical ways to reach new words and blaze onward
• Defend your keyboard with taps and wordplay

Welcome to Off The AppStore, a weekly feature with a twist. Namely, that while these - as with all the games we cover here - are games that you can play on your phone, they're ones that operate outside of the realms of the big two ways to play: The Google Play Store and the Apple AppStore.

That means that there might be a bit of work required in downloading alternative AppStores or APKs, or that the games can simply be played in your phone browser. We'll make sure to detail that for each game though. Anyway, read on to find a new game or experience to play Off The AppStore.

Whoever said that the pen is mightier than the sword probably never tried fencing with a BIC, but that's a hypothetical for another time. The fact of the matter is that a person can never stop benefitting from exercises involving grammar, from reading to crosswords to playing around on apps. You've got the heavy hitters like Words With Friends that challenge you to prove to your friends that you're a successful kind of verbose. But, Kr0tyara will have you going against their computerised dangers as you try to come up with all the words that you can think of to build yourself up in Wordsword.

After a few moments of entering into a world controlled by words, you'll be greeted by a colourful grammar professor who happens to be a squid. Not only is he well-versed in words, but he also has dabbled in magic that allows him (and, through teaching, you) to use words to gain power. After teaching you some spells and giving you a few words to start things off, you'll be challenged to use your keyboard to come up with new words. Each new word will earn you a set amount of points based on the spells cast and will also stoke the magical flames to increase your score.

Unfortunately, not all is well in the world of words, as some would seek to destroy it. The most aggressive of these are the smiling, flying, moustache lip things called Oomas. They'll fly in from offscreen to attack your keyboard and steal your precious letters. You can use tapping and words to fend them off, but you also have to worry about your own lives. These appear as hearts and will be sacrificed whenever you try to change the world too drastically. Luckily, there's a strange insect-lady who will be willing to trade to get hearts (and perhaps letters) back for you.

Wordsword is a 2D word-puzzle game that has you working within the words you set for yourself and using them to expand your tower of vocabulary further. Oomas and heartbreak are the main obstacles aside from the limits of your mental wordbank, but this is your chance to add another branch to it. There's no timer or pressure, so if you ever want to take a break, just say the word.

Wordsword is available to download and play from its itch.io page!