I’ve got to admit I’m not a huge fan of the puzzle game genre. If I had a choice of game type to review, it would probably be an all-action FPS complete with over-enthusiastic explosions and bullets flying in all directions. So when I was given the opportunity to review the Xbox Arcade title, Quarrel, I wasn’t exactly salivating at the prospect of getting my teeth stuck into a wordy puzzle game. I’m pleased to say that on this front I have been proven to be a bit of a philistine, Quarrel is actually a very good game and surprisingly addictive.
UTV Ignition and Denki have brought the 2011 word game already seen on iOS to Xbox, and it’s not just a simple port job either, the Xbox version has the added feature of multiplayer over Xbox Live. If you’re like me and have never played Quarrel in any form whatsoever, here’s the basics:
Quarrel, as you have probably already guessed, is primarily a word game, in fact it’s an anagram game with some clever features bolted on to give it a tactical element. At it’s most basic level, Quarrel pits you against a single opponent and the two of you have to derive the highest scoring word from a scattering of seemingly random letters. I say seemingly random, but that’s not correct, because from the eight letters given it’s always possible to make an eight letter word, however this is easier said than done, especially when pitted against a time limit.
The game board comprises of a number of tiles, each indicating a territory, the primary objective is to wipe out your opponent and occupy the entire map.
When playing a standard 1 vs. 1 match in Quarrel, you and your opponent start with an equal number of territories occupied by an equal number of troops that are scattered around the map, there’s no particular order to the territories you’re designated, you just find yourself with four or five troops positioned on various tiles around the board.
Depending on the draw, you find yourself either attacking, or defending for the first turn. If you win the draw, you have the opportunity to move your troops onto a neighbouring territory that’s occupied by your opponent and attack them, but you do have to leave at least one troop member behind.
When you initiate an attack you’re always presented with eight letters that are placed in a random order, your opponent can see the same letters. However, you are only able to use as many letters as your attacking troops number, even if you manage to decipher the full eight letter anagram, so if you are only attacking with four troops, then your word can only comprise of a maximum of four letters.
Your goal is to derive the highest scoring word from your letter allocation, each letter has a Scrabble type score, so a less frequently occurring letter, such as ‘Q’ scores more than a commonly used letter like ‘S’. All being well, you will wield your vocabulary like a weapon and emerge victorious from your battle. In this situation, your troops will venture forth onto the conquered territory, again leaving one of your squad behind to remain in control from whence you came. However, should the enemy smite you with a higher scoring word, or score the same, but do so in a shorter time, then you lose all of your troops bar one, who will return to your tile as the sole survivor.
When you feel as though you have spread yourself as thin as you dare, you have the opportunity to consolidate your troops before you end your turn. The basic premise at this point is to ensure that you have a decent number of troops on any territories neighbouring the enemy. It’s very difficult to defend against a five letter word with a two letter word. Once you have finished distributing your forces it’s time to end your turn and let your opponent attack.
An effective defence of your territories is almost as key as attacking, each successful rebuff sees the enemies forces depleted and in some cases you can even take prisoners to reinforce your troops. Prisoners are taken when you’re playing at a numerical disadvantage to your opponent, so for example, if you attack, or defend, with four troops against your opponent’s six troops, you’ll capture two additional troops.
The game tends to ebb and flow as you gain and lose territories, a combination of superior word knowledge and keen tactics will see you emerge victorious. Quarrel features twelve A.I. opponents, each with ascending word IQ levels; the competition is fierce enough to challenge even the most verbose of players. At it’s most challenging, Quarrel will pit you against a total of three opponents all vying for world, or should that be, word, domination.
There are a number of single player modes presenting various challenges or tasks against an ever-increasing difficulty of opposition, or should you feel the need, you can even tailor a custom challenge. However, where Quarrel really comes into it’s own is in the exclusive Xbox feature, multiplayer over Live. Playing against the A.I. is fun, but there’s nothing like the satisfaction of beating a human opponent. The game even pits you against players of a similar word IQ level based on your game history, so generally you’re always in for a good fight.
With each game typically lasting around fifteen to twenty minutes, Quarrel is a fun game to dip into for a quick word fix and certainly makes for a nice change of tempo if you’ve been fragging on a brainless FPS all night. It also has the capacity to improve your word knowledge, Quarrel displays the definition of each word played; a clever player will take note and remember for future use, both in-game and hopefully in everyday life too. Quarrel is easy to pick up, colourful and well presented, there’s not really too much to dislike, it’s learning made fun. At only 400 Microsoft Points, Quarrel really is good value for money, if you’ve a bit of a soft spot for board games like Scrabble, Boggle and Risk, then a purchase is a no-brainer.
With text messaging seemingly ruining the English language, it’s refreshing to see a video game fighting for the cause of proper spelling and expansive diction. Mums and Dads: Quarrel is definitely a video game you want your children to play, and when they’re not playing, have a go yourself, anagrams have never been so much fun.
Nice review.
Looks a decent game and at the now very rare bargain price of 400MSP it should pick up a few sales.