Game – KrissX

Platform – Xbox Live Arcade

Game Length – About 5 Hours

Completed? – We both played past level 100, tried all modes, and completed most of the special puzzles.

Upon first sight, KrissX (pronounced “criss-cross”) looks like an educational kid’s game and an easy 200 achievement points. While it does hit both of those areas, the later levels will test your mind, as well as your ability to not find the nearest thesaurus. The patience needed for KrissX is relatively high because not only will you encounter words that only an English professor would know, but because the shortcomings really hinder an otherwise decent game.

Charis: The game is played like a crossword puzzle with clues, but all of the letters are given to you jumbled up. It’s your job to unscramble the word with the hint provided. As you progress, a timer appears and the puzzles must be solved within the limit. When you solve words quickly with minimal moves, little bonus stars fall and you need to press the correct button to get them. You’ll get point and time bonuses, that time is added to the game clock, and the game continues until you run out of time. The shortcomings are pretty significant, though.

Shawn: That may actually be an understatement, because the shortcomings made the game way too boring for me. For one, they re-use words. This didn’t start happening until after level 35 or so, but it was noticeable and annoying. There is an endless amount of words in the English language, and to re-use them isn’t acceptable. On top of that, after you solve a puzzle you are forced to do quick one word “bonus” puzzles. “Bonus” is in quotes, because this was the game breaker for me. It was not a bonus, instead you are forced to put letters in alphabetical and backwards alphabetical order, or solve a word in a small amount of moves. This is after EVERY level and was enough for me to write off this otherwise solid effort.

Charis: I agree. Those bonuses just felt like filler in a game that already has over 100 levels, so you can only imagine how tedious the entire game felt after a while. Aside from this quest mode there are three other modes, including Time Attack, Timeless, and Special Puzzles. Time Attack and Timeless are self-explanatory, while the Special Puzzle mode uses words for a specific category, like countries or state capitals. These modes make sense and the Special Puzzle mode is at least interesting. However, I don’t see myself sitting there for an endless mode.

Shawn: I hear you on that one. The quest mode was boring enough to feel endless on its own. Timeless mode will help those looking for those last couple achievements, though.

Overall, KrissX is mind-numbingly dull. The capacity of words incorporated into the gameplay is dismal at best… Ok, I’ll stop using the thesaurus! While it’s entertaining for the first few levels, it has little replay value. The extra modes don’t offer much and it gets repetitive very quickly. To sum it up, $10 is a lot to pay for a modified newspaper crossword puzzle, so save your “onmey” (hint: hard-earned cash).

Score

5.5

(5’s and 6’s are recommended, but only after a price drop or as a rental. They are average games that have potential, but plays everything a bit safe and may feel repetitive or boring. There may be fun to be had, but it’s just not enough to recommend a purchase.)