If you’re a fan of word searches, look no further than Word Search by POWGI, available on both the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShops. The game is as simple as it gets; it offers over 300 word search puzzles that can potentially take players a dozen or so hours to fully complete.
A game like this wouldn’t work properly without a touch screen, and the 3DS conveniently offers just that (so does the Wii U, of course, but this review only pertains to the 3DS version, as the title clearly states!). You’ll use your finger or the system’s stylus to highlight the words you find within the game’s puzzles. To select said puzzles, you need only navigate the simple menu screens, which are divided into categories like Food, Colors, and Animal Kingdom. This is also done very simply and easily on the touch screen.
As far as sound goes, Word Search simply gets the job done, nothing more, nothing less. There is one catchy tune that plays in the background during puzzles, plus some sound effects that are pleasing to the ear.
The Recommendation
Having such a comprehensive word search experience on the go is convenient, but that novelty wears off quickly when you realize that a couple of modes from the Wii U version of the game were not included or even replaced in the 3DS version. This makes it hard to justify the $7.99 price tag. But if you’re a word search fanatic who’s often on the go, the handheld version might be worth your while. There is, after all, a great amount of variety in the game’s 300+ puzzles, and the playability (not replayability) is high.
Now that you know how I feel about the handheld version of Word Search by POWGI, check out Ryan’s review of the Wii U version.