If you have ever been interested in learning how to play the game BananabubleGum, then I have good news for you. The creators of this wonderful word game are releasing an expansion called, BANANABUBBLEGUM STRIKE! This expansion features a brand new gameplay mode (versus the existing single player game mode). In this mode, you will get to try out all the new cards and strategies that the designers have worked on. If you love word games, you will love BANANABUBBLEGUM STRIKE!
The premise of the game is quite simple. You are presented with a deck of letters and a set of tiles. Take your time, and think about the kinds of words that you can create with the available tiles. Once you have created a few words, you are able to see what tiles to match them, and play those tiles. Of course, there are some words that match each other and some that do not. When you reach a certain number of points, you gain access to a special power-up, which gives you a limited number of bids for the remaining tiles on the board.
The mechanics of the game are simple and well balanced. At the start of each level, you will earn a word, consisting of one letter and one space on the board. Bidding is done with a bid price, which is dictated by the letter and space on the board. Playing a word reveals its position on the board, and playing more words costs less bids.
Once you have earned a few words, you can now select a board setting. The game automatically switches to a board level called ‘Newbie’, after selecting a board type. The starting point is the letter ‘B’, and the letters appear in random order. The starting difficulty is very easy, so beginners can play Banners fairly easily. As you progress through the levels, the starting difficulty gets harder!
The Bananian Gabbo game comes with a bonus word which becomes accessible once you reach level eight. Playing this word boosts your score! In addition, you will also get aBanana Mood, which makes you go bananas when played – perfect for those rainy days!
There are many words that have been designed to make the game as diverse as possible. These words are called ‘buzzwords’. When played in the correct manner, they will make the words on the board to move in a random pattern. This can be a beneficial strategy, since your rivals cannot guess what your next move is! As you advance through the levels of the game, you will unlock new buzzwords every time.
The audio version of the game is fantastic! It adds an extra element of fun to the game. Each word has been recorded by the amazingly talented John Reis. They each have a very funny recording, which will bring a smile to your face when playing. The words are all slightly modified to make them sound slightly different.
One thing I want to point out, is that you need to buy the correct version of BananabubleGum. There is no ‘lite’ version, so if you end up downloading the wrong one, you won’t be playing any decent Scrabble games! I tested the game with both the regular and audio editions of Scrabble and found that the audio edition is quite enjoyable. In fact, it is probably the best part of the whole game. If you like your online Scrabble games to have a little bit of a twist, then this is exactly what you should be looking for.
The actual play of the game is just as simple as it was when it first came out, only now the tiles are randomly placed on the playing field. You can select words from a short list of words (either available or those that you create), or you can randomly generate them. There are also bonus cubes, which when clicked, will give you a random word. This is a great way to generate some extra competition during game play!
The levels tend to vary, depending on how much time you want to spend on them. You can play for a limited number of turns, or you can play for as long as you want! I usually spend around 5 minutes on each level, and the time seems to be growing shorter every week! The letters are spaced evenly across the playing field, and you don’t see any different colouring on the letters. It’s a shame there are no grid and chart to refer to, but it’s easily rectified by clicking on the letters in the grid.
Overall, BannersBout is a fun game that I’m enjoying. The simplicity of it is what drew me in initially, before I discovered the true fun of the Banners. If you have a few spare minutes between now and then, why not try this fun new game? It’s free and doesn’t take up too much computer space, so you can play it anywhere!