Scramble with Friends Makes Its Google Play Debut, A Must Have App for Brain Puzzle Junkies

We’ve had our eye on Scramble with Friends for a while now, and when Zynga decided to release the game for the Google Play store in Canada we were left counting down the days for its US launch. Well, we can now fill our idle weekends with mind numbing fun, as Scramble with Friends has made its way to the Android community here in the US.

Pros:

• Fun and slightly mind challenging
• Easy to learn
• Can play with your friends
• Chat option to talk during game

Cons:

• Token system is annoying
• Game could use more Power Up features
• Time consuming if you become addicted

Overview:

The main objective of the game is pretty similar to Boggle. Users are given a ton of scrambled tiles and the goal is to find as many words as possible before time runs out. You are shown a screen with 16 letters four up and four across. You simply tap the letters to make words and then when you are finished with a word tap the last letter again to register the word with the game. Simple and fairly easy to learn how to play.

Playing the Game:

There are 3 rounds and each round is 2 minutes long. There is a timer at the top to tell you how much time you have left with the addition to sound cues which notify you when your time is half way done and when you only have a couple of seconds left. Users then wait to see if their opponent can beat their time. The game did take about a day to grow on me, but by day two I was officially and shamelessly hooked. Addictive as it was, I wasn’t impressed with the token concept of the app. Users are given 15 tokens to start and are then required to use a token to start a round. Once the user runs out of tokens they can either purchase more tokens, or wait 20 minutes for their tokens to replenish. I didn’t think it was worth spending money towards purchasing additional tokens, and was left feeling annoyed that I had to wait such a long time to play again.

Power Ups

Players are given the chance to choose two power ups at the start of each game. The power ups will then display at the bottom of the screen during the game and users can simply tap the power up to use them.

Freeze: This power up freezes time for a few seconds. This is useful if you need just a few more seconds to figure out that last word. Additionally, this power up is used at the end automatically when the timer runs out if you forget to use it.

Scramble: This power up scrambles the letters around, giving the user a new view of the letter arrangement. You do have to tap this power up to use it or it will not automatically be applied when the timer runs out.

Inspiration: This power up provides the user with 3 free words. The first letter of each free word will shake and then a line appears to visualize the word. If you don’t tap this power up by the end of the timer, you will lose it.

Games and Scoring: Each game consists of three rounds. After you play you will then wait for your opponent to play. For the first round each letter is assigned a point value and playing higher letters will obtain the player a higher point value. During the second and third round some letters have a double letter or double word assigned to them which can add additional points to your score. Points are tallied at the end of each game and a winner is appointed.

Finding Friends to Play With: The app allows you to connect through either Facebook, email, or text to invite friends to play with. Users that enjoy any of Zynga’s other “With Friends” apps can also find friends through their Zynga account.

If You Don’t Have Any Friends, Don’t Worry: The app does have the option to play with random people if you don’t have any friends to play with. There is also a chat bubble where you can write an introductory blurb about yourself, but most random players just want to play the game.

Feeling Chatty: For anyone who likes to talk smack to their friends, or better yet, random opponents there is a chat bubble that you can tap to talk to your opponent during the game.

Token annoyance aside, I did find Zynga’s Scramble with Friends for Android an addictive twist to a classic traditional game. I would recommend it as a must have app for anyone who is a brain puzzle junkie or is just looking for another way to prove that you are smarter than your friends.

Scramble with Friends is available for free and utilizes Android 2.2 and up. Give it a try, and don’t forget to let us know what you think.

Play Link