Word Forward (Game Boy Color)

Beautifully simple. Endlessly challenging.

Word Forward is the puzzle game where every choice matters.

GAME OVERVIEW

Can you use all of the letters in the 5x5 grid to make words disappear and clear the board? Word Forward isn’t about spelling the longest words or the most clever - it’s about carefully using every tile to declare victory in 500 puzzles. Requiring both cunning and strategy, Word Forward is a brain teaser that will really make you think!

GAMEPLAY

The object of the game is to clear the board of the 25 letter tiles by making 3, 4, 5, or 6 letter words. All tiles in your word must be connected, either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

Some tiles can only be used in a certain direction (shown by the arrows next to the letter), and some tiles can only be used in words of a certain length (shown by the number next to the letter).

If you get stuck, you can use swap tokens to swap any two letter tiles on the board. You can earn more swap tokens by making 4, 5, or 6 letter words.

MODIFIER TILES

At the bottom of the game board are five modifier tiles, including two New Letter tiles and three special tiles, Jumble, Change, and Bomb, as follows:

• New Letter: You can replace an existing tile with one of the new letter tiles.
• Jumble: This randomises all remaining letter tiles on the game board.
• Swap: This allows you to choose the letter on a given letter tile.
• Bomb: Use the bomb to remove a troublesome tile from the board!

PLAYING MODES

Word Forward has two different playing modes to suit players of any skill or proficiency:

• Arcade Mode: Endless levels which get progressively more difficult. 
• Timed Mode: Try an Easy, Medium, or Hard level, each with a time limit.

PLAY MENU

Pressing the A Button or START from the Title Screen allows you to choose ARCADE, TIMED, or HOW TO PLAY. Choosing TIMED allows you to select a skill level before the game starts, while HOW TO PLAY provides handy instructions for playing the game.

CONTROLS

MENUS:

• The Dpad and A button are used for selecting menu items.

IN-GAME:

• Creating Words: Move the cursor using the Dpad and tap the A Button to select each successive letter in your word. Press START to submit your word.
• Swapping Tiles: Highlight the first letter, hold the A Button to initiate the swap, then highlight another tile and press the A Button to swap.
• Pause: Press SELECT to bring up the PAUSE MENU.

PAUSE MENU

Pressing the SELECT button during the game will pause the action. From here, you can push UP or DOWN on the Dpad to choose RETRY, NEW BOARD, or QUIT. Press the A button to choose an option, or press the B button to exit the menu.

WHAT THE PRESS SAID

“chess-like think-ahead strategy...an excellent buy for solo players.” TechRadar

“A challenging puzzler not to be missed.”  AppAdvice

 “Equally a brain-teaser and a brain-pleaser.” MacWorld

CREDITS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Design, Code, and Art: SHANE MCCAFFERTY (@egvroom)

Dictionary: BBBBBR

SFX: BEATSCRIBE

Production: ANDY ROBERTS

Special Thanks: JIM SQUIRES

A ROCKETSHIP PARK production for Thalamus Digital.

RUNNING THE GAME

The Word Forward ROM is designed for use with Game Boy emulators such as mGBA (compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, and Ubuntu) or a flash cartridge such as the EverDrive.

Word Forward will run on both the original Game Boy DMG and the Game Boy Color.

© 2024 Rocketship Park, Inc. Game Boy™ Color is a trademark of Nintendo Inc. This product is not sponsored, endorsed, or approved by Nintendo.