Watchword Press Kit
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Fact Sheet
Big Quail Games
Chayse Thompson
Strategy, Casual
Roguelike, Deckbuilding, Word Game
TBD
Digital Download
English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese
Digital Download
Mouse, Touch, Gamepad
Descriptions
Short Description
Watchword is a roguelike, word-based, deckbuilding game. Strategically use rule-breaking books, point multiplying pieces, and made-up words to score massive points and discover interesting synergies.
Narrative Description
In a fallen and future world, we have moved beyond language as a society. Books, magazines, and all literature have become relics filled with a magic that few understand. The Watchguards are a secretive society committed to preserving the great stories of the world. You have been chosen to join their ranks, but can only do so by completing a number of Trials. It will take creative use of magical Books and Letter Tiles to be accepted into their circle.
Full Description
Watchword has a unique combination of cozy yet challenging, passive yet strategic, and easy to learn but difficult to master. All of the various gameplay mechanics interact seamlessly with eachother to enable an endless number of unique builds and strategies to discover. Every run is different, but one thing is consistent. Big number MUST go BRRRRR.
Move pieces on your board to spell words that score massive amounts of points. Use magical spells and books to break the rules of the game! Invent new crazy words that don't exist, but fit perfectly with your synergies. Having a good vocabulary will certainly help you on your journey, but more important than anything is making strategic decisions to control your fate. Will you complete the trials?
Origins
I, like much of the world, was completely absorbed by Balatro when it was released. After probably only 5-10 hours of gameplay I quit playing and realized that I wanted a game to exist that gave me the same satisfaction I got from a good run of Balatro, but with the theme of Letters and Words! I've long been a fan of the NYT Word games, board games, and other roguelikes so combining aspects of all, the idea for Watchword was born. Immediately I set out on development that has been ongoing since Summer 2024.
- Chayse from Big Quail Games
Game Features
- Roguelike Deckbuilding: Permadeath runs with deck customization
- Endless Synergies: 100+ Books (Relics), 80+ Unique Upgrades, and Hundreds of Piece variations
- Chill and Satisfying: Take as much time as you need to play your board, then watch the score roll in.
- Infinitely Replayable: No run is the same. Procedurally generated challenges and encounters
- Play at your speed: Play as fast or as slow as you'd like. See if you can squeeze just one more word in...
- Spelling Aids: Auto word-validation, running stats, and dictionaries so you know exactly how your build is performing.
- Game Breaking: Play words that aren't words and see if you can overflow the score counter
