Ordet Review

Ordet is a simple, challenging word game. Players are presented with 7 letters to be rearranged into as many words as possible, racking up high scores as they progress through each round. Without a time limit, the round doesn't end until either the player gives up or spells out a word using all 7 letters. Sometimes, it's easy to figure out the 7 letter word required to move on. Other times, it's extremely difficult.

From the moment I first started Ordet, the attention to detail is obvious. I was presented with a manual that resembles a printed book with turnable pages. Then, after familiarizing myself with the rules and instructions on how to play, I was finally brought to the main game screen. Resembling physical tiles and woodgrain finishes, the layout is beautiful and quite pleasing to the eye. However, as I played the game, I couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't more to this game. As is, it's very basic.

For one, the game gets a bit dull before long. The player can't pass to the next round without figuring the 7 letter word, even if they have every word but that one figured out. For another, without a time limit, I'm tempted to just "brute force" my way through the game, going through every possible combination until I hit something that works. I could just hit "Give Up" and get a new combination of letters to play with, but it's not very long before I find myself in the same situation again. After a few of rounds of that, it's not something I really want to keep playing

Add to all of that the "Coming Soon" notice next to the Game Center Leaderboards and Achievements and you get the feeling that this game isn't even finished, yet. Sure, it looks great, but that's about it. Without more to do and other mechanics to play with, Ordet just feels too basic and limited.

Ordet is definitely a tough game, but there just isn't enough to keep me interested. I do like that users can touch a word they don't know and instantly get the definition within the game, and there's an aspect to that which makes learning new words fun. Aside from its good looks, however, it's just not the first game I'd go reaching for to kill some time. There's definitely room for improvement.