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KrissX
KrissX (pronounced Kriss Cross btw) is the latest addition to a long line of word based puzzle games for PC. It is your quest to help "Wordsworth" the brainy looking owl mascot to unscramble some words by swapping individual letters around. Unlike other titles in the genre KrissX actually has more in common with crossword puzzles but does it have enough to lure you away from the newspaper?
Visually KrissX looks very much like a Popcap title which isn't a bad thing. The resolution is stuck at 800x600 so don't expect any high definition action but overall it doesn't look too shabby. The graphics are plain and simple with an empty landscape in the background that only changes to reflect the seasons. The owl mascot is also present on the levels to give it a bit more life I suppose but the little fellow has the nasty habit of obscuring some letters on the word grids. He fades away when you are working with words in his vicinity but it feels just a tad too slow. Since time is of the essence in some game modes this is a bit annoying. The same goes for the word clues that appear when you hover your mouse over the rows and columns. Nothing gamebreaking but over the course of 150 levels it can become a nuisance. Each level gives you some scrambled words arrange din rows and columns and like your typical crossword some words intersect each other so you can use the joint letters as clues. For a real clue you hover your cursor over the word and if you are really stumped then you can use a hint to provide you with some visual aid. Words can be unscrambled by often only swapping one or two letters which makes the start of the game feel very slow and easy. Things get more interesting from about level 50 onward but most stages can still be completed very quickly. The timer in quest mode only influences your score so there isn't really that much pressure. You get so called "badges" for doing well but unless you are a completionist you can safely ignore them. I found that even with the 3500 word database some words crop up a lot more than others although this could be random. Some variety in quest mode come in the form of levels where instead of unscrambling groups of letters you only get a single word to unscramble in a certain amount of moves. The penalty for failing to do so is only less bonus points however. Then there are levels where you have to unscramble four rows of words or arrange letters alphabetically with the least amount of moves. All very interesting but sadly never as addictive as something like Bookworm Adventures for example. During quest mode you'll also unlock a few other stand-alone modes. Time attack pits you against the clock where bonus tokens released by unscrambling words add precious seconds to your allocated time while puzzle mode have grids that focus on words related to a certain theme like Geography. You can even create your own puzzles with the simple to use editor that is included. The game features some very simple background music that can start to grate after a while but most people will probably turn it down after the first few levels. The sound effects are also pretty minimal. There's some sparse voice samples that congratulate you or announce the end of the level but that's about it. The controls are very easy and everything can be done using just your mouse. Keyboard controls work just as well which is something laptop players will appreciate. While I had fun with KrissX it just never became as addictive as a really good puzzler should. It makes for a nice change of pace and there's a few easy Steam achievements to entice you back but once you've done everything there is to do you'll probably move on without looking back. I can heartily recommend this game to parents seeking to expand the vocabulary of their children but chances are older players have already played something similar and better.
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System Requirements
TAGS: KrissX, Word, Puzzle, Crossword, Bonus, Quest, Time Attack, Editor
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