Swap two word letters by selecting both.
Hit the PLAY button to complete the move.
Place a word letter in a slot
to rearrange
the word.
Hit PLAY to complete the move.
Select a single word letter.
Hit PLAY to delete it
and make a new valid word.
A move can also use a letter from the grid.
Select a word letter
and a grid letter to replace it.
Hit PLAY to confirm.
Select a slot
and a grid letter to put there
Engage PLAY to make it so
A bonus no-penalty setup move is earned
for every 5 words
added to the chain.
To use it, select a move as normal but
hit the BONUS || button
instead of PLAY.
A free grid refresh bonus is earned
for every 30 points (AKA
string).
Play the grid refresh bonus
by pressing the # button.
Existing grid is replaced with a fresh one.
Reach a six letter word once
and the grid expands to 4x4.
If no grid refresh bonus is used, grid letters refresh when a row or column is
completed.
Attempting to play a previously played word does not incur a penalty. This word will be highlighted in your wordlist to help you plan your next moves.
Words that fail dictionary validation are penalised. Using consecutive bonuses without playing a valid word also costs you a life.
You may use as many consecutive bonuses as your total number of lives (lost lives still count) before incurring a penalty.
You can see your remaining lives under the current word.
Milestone rewards are active from the start of the game, but only become visible when the 4x4 grid is unlocked for 6+ letters.
Players get one-time rewards for these milestones:
String: 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800...
Chain: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024...
Word length: 6+, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15...
No-bonus streak: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80...
Rewards include bonus setup moves, grid refresh bonuses, extra lives for words 7+ letters, and a few surprises.
The penalty for invalid words, apart from losing a life, is losing half of all accrued setup moves and grid refresh bonuses.
Seems harsh, but the stakes keep it interesting.
Enjoy!
ABOUT
Big shoutout to dictionaryapi.dev and wordgamedictionary.com for
providing free dictionary resources. This is
the spirit of
random collaboration that embodies the internet at its best.
Without whoever they are, whoever I am couldn't have made this game for whoever you are.
The internet is awash with bitesize daily puzzles. These are great, but Stringchain is more
open-ended and user-driven.
Play as much as you want, whenever you want. It's not a subscription, it's not an appointment. You
choose when and how much. Take breaks, be healthy.
Your highscores will include a sample of some consecutive words you played. Make yourself presentable.
I've been tweaking the rewards and penalties to incentivise exciting gameplay.
Your total lives (including lost lives) plus one is the penalty threshold for consecutive bonus use - that's any combination of grid refresh and setup moves without playing a valid word.
In early gameplay, it is important to use bonuses strategically. Word choice is crucial to creep up on longer words without running out of rope.
You can unlock extra lives (and raise the consecutive bonus use penalty threshold) by playing 7+ letter words.
You can rack up string and chain by finding new more efficient paths through all the obvious and convenient short words.
Or you can revel in the long word space, stripmining rich veins of vocab, looking for opportunities in the grid to take your word to the next milestone.
Get a high score.
Beat that high score.
Screenshot that high score and challenge your
friends.
Show off your wordlist. You made that. Look at all the words you know.
Future tweaks and updates are planned, including drag/drop UI. But the core game is in place, have at it.
If you enjoy this game, consider buying me a coffee or putting my kids through college.
Word nerd,
Dave
Pick a
letter...
...or save for later with *
After 128 words, a wildcard is awarded. It appears the next time a grid row or column refreshes.
Another wildcard is earned for every 32 additional words.