A towering word-game and mystery-story mash-up!
You create words on a grid of letter tiles to clear a path and guide the protagonist Seb and his friends down a crumbling skyscraper. The core gameplay involves selecting adjacent letters to form words, which then disappear from the grid, allowing the remaining letters to fall downwards. Your main objective is to safely escort the characters, each with their own special abilities, to the bottom of the screen.
Forming longer words (5+ letters) triggers special effects like exploding blocks, which clear more of the grid. The game accepts both American and British English spellings, ensuring a wide audience can play. Your score depends on factors like word length, speed, and efficiency in using the available letters, encouraging you to constantly search for the best possible words.
As you progress through the 90+ levels, new mechanics and obstacles appear to keep the gameplay fresh and challenging. These include tiles with special properties like glass, fire, and debris that require different strategies to deal with, as well as characters with their own oxygen levels and abilities that can be triggered at the cost of moves or time.
Many levels have turn or time-based constraints, forcing you to balance speed and efficiency in word creation. Some levels also require you to rescue specific characters or clear certain obstacles, adding an additional layer of strategy beyond just forming the longest words. The difficulty curve is generally well-paced, with early levels easing you into the mechanics before gradually increasing the challenge.
Beyond the main story campaign, the game offers additional "Chimp Challenges" and achievements that encourage you to revisit levels and try different strategies to earn higher scores, complete specific challenges, or uncover hidden secrets. The randomized nature of the letter grids also contributes to the game's replayability, as no two playthroughs are exactly the same.