Bookworm Adventures
Encyclopedia
Bookworm Adventures is a follow-up to the word-forming computer puzzle game
Bookworm
from PopCap Games
. Released in November 2006, Bookworm Adventures combines the "create words from sets of letters" aspect of Bookworm with several elements of a computer role-playing game. In the 2007 Interactive Achievement Awards, Bookworm Adventures won the "Downloadable Game of the Year". The game also won three Zeeby awards for Best Word & Trivia Game of 2006, Best Game Design of 2006 and Best Story/Narrative of 2006.
Although the direct sales model used by the company avoids various distribution and retail fees, this still represents one of the most expensive investments in the genre to date. John Vechey, PopCap's director, indicated that this did seem to be a departure from the previous model, noting that "A couple years ago, the prevailing wisdom was that it took three guys six months and $100,000 to make a casual game. They used to be considered a low art form."
Players guide Lex the Bookworm (voiced by Chief Creative Officer of PopCap, Jason Kapalka) through a number of stages, battling creatures along the way (which are largely based on Greek Mythology
, tales from 1001 Arabian Nights and Gothic fiction
, while the foes in the game's sequel are based on Fairy tales, Chinese mythology
and Science fiction
). Each battle consists of Lex squaring off against a given foe. Both Lex and his adversary have health meters (represented by a number of hearts), which, when depleted, signal defeat. However, unlike more traditional role-playing games where players might injure their opponents with arms or magic, enemies in Bookworm Adventures are damaged by forming words.
As in the original, words are formed from a grid of available letters. Unlike the original, the letters used to form the words need not be adjacent to one another. The longer the word which is formed, the more damage is done to opponents. Similarly, words generated using letters which are less common do more damage than those using only common letters. Each turn, players can form a single word, while enemies use one of their available attacks to injure Lex, heal themselves, or otherwise make the battle more difficult. If victorious, Lex automatically recovers all of his health between battles.
After a certain number of battles are won, a boss of increased difficulty is encountered. If players defeat the boss, they complete the stage and are rewarded with a treasure item. Treasures provide special abilities to Lex, such as a reduction in damage inflicted to him, or more damage generated from words containing certain letters. In some cases, rather than receiving a new item, an existing item is upgraded. After the player has accumulated more than three items, Lex must then choose which three items to bring along on later chapters.
While potions can be acquired gradually by defeating foes, potions (and, later in the game, gems) can also be awarded for playing separate word-based mini-games between stages. In such mini-games, the player must try and guess a secret word (using a Mastermind
-like system), or must try and form as many words as possible from a set of letters. The more skillfully the player plays these mini-games, the greater the reward. In the sequel, you can only have the maximum of 10 potions of each type.
Note: In the sequel, the armored status is now separate from the enemy lore. The armor icon is visible at the bottom right of the enemy, similar how status ailments appear. Armored turns to lightly armored and heavily armored turns to moderately armored. Unlike bonus categories and immunity, weakness has disappeared from the sequel.
Enemy Attacks and Abilities:
Here, you will be able to see some of the attacks and abilities enemies have.
For example: Mostly enemies have a basic attack
It is symbolized by a sword.
Also, they usually have a defensive attack, like Regenerate,Power Up, or Purify and other defensive attacks. They are symbolized by a shield or a heart and a green fist.
Also, most foes have one or more status attacks. The most common are Poison, Ice, Stun, Fire, Bleed and Tile smash.
It features the same basic gameplay as the first edition, except there are new tile types:
In addition, there are three new attacks:
Also, there are unlockable companions that can aid Lex on his quest:
The game also introduced 3 new mini-games, as well as keeping the 3 from the original game:
It should also be noted that, unlike in the first game, you can now choose which mini-game you want to play.
Furthermore, unlike the first game, you can replay the Adventure mode (Adventure Replay) once you completed it.
Computer puzzle game
Puzzle video games are a genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles to be solved can test many problem solving skills including logic, strategy, pattern recognition, sequence solving, and word completion....
Bookworm
Bookworm (game)
Bookworm is a word-forming computer puzzle game by PopCap Games. From a grid of available letters, players connect letters to form words. As words are formed, they are removed from the grid and the remaining letters collapse to fill the available space...
from PopCap Games
PopCap Games
PopCap Games is an American video game developer and publisher, based in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 2000 by John Vechey, Brian Fiete and Jason Kapalka, and currently employs about 400 people...
. Released in November 2006, Bookworm Adventures combines the "create words from sets of letters" aspect of Bookworm with several elements of a computer role-playing game. In the 2007 Interactive Achievement Awards, Bookworm Adventures won the "Downloadable Game of the Year". The game also won three Zeeby awards for Best Word & Trivia Game of 2006, Best Game Design of 2006 and Best Story/Narrative of 2006.
Development
In contrast to the lower production budgets typical of most "casual games", PopCap Games spent over two and a half years and US$700,000 developing Bookworm Adventures.Although the direct sales model used by the company avoids various distribution and retail fees, this still represents one of the most expensive investments in the genre to date. John Vechey, PopCap's director, indicated that this did seem to be a departure from the previous model, noting that "A couple years ago, the prevailing wisdom was that it took three guys six months and $100,000 to make a casual game. They used to be considered a low art form."
Gameplay
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, tales from 1001 Arabian Nights and Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...
, while the foes in the game's sequel are based on Fairy tales, Chinese mythology
Chinese mythology
Chinese mythology is a collection of cultural history, folktales, and religions that have been passed down in oral or written tradition. These include creation myths and legends and myths concerning the founding of Chinese culture and the Chinese state...
and Science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
). Each battle consists of Lex squaring off against a given foe. Both Lex and his adversary have health meters (represented by a number of hearts), which, when depleted, signal defeat. However, unlike more traditional role-playing games where players might injure their opponents with arms or magic, enemies in Bookworm Adventures are damaged by forming words.
As in the original, words are formed from a grid of available letters. Unlike the original, the letters used to form the words need not be adjacent to one another. The longer the word which is formed, the more damage is done to opponents. Similarly, words generated using letters which are less common do more damage than those using only common letters. Each turn, players can form a single word, while enemies use one of their available attacks to injure Lex, heal themselves, or otherwise make the battle more difficult. If victorious, Lex automatically recovers all of his health between battles.
After a certain number of battles are won, a boss of increased difficulty is encountered. If players defeat the boss, they complete the stage and are rewarded with a treasure item. Treasures provide special abilities to Lex, such as a reduction in damage inflicted to him, or more damage generated from words containing certain letters. In some cases, rather than receiving a new item, an existing item is upgraded. After the player has accumulated more than three items, Lex must then choose which three items to bring along on later chapters.
Game modes and others
There are 3 game modes of the game. The different modes are Adventure, Mini-Games and Arena. Adventure mode is a library icon. There, the player solves the mystery of the Great Library. Mini-game mode is a tent icon; players can play a mini-game between some stages of the game. The player can play all mini-games from the opening screen after defeating Book 2 (or Book 5 in the sequel) of Adventure mode. The last is the Arena mode, where the player battles all of the bosses that Lex encountered (except for Hydra, the Sphinx and Professor Codex in the first game and Previous Lex, Skeletrox (Dance Commander) and all three phases of The Machine in the sequel). This can be played after the player defeats Book 3 (or Book 6 in the sequel) of Adventure mode. Arena is a constant battle. There is a time limit of this mode above the grid, and when it is up, the enemy attacks. The Tome of Knowledge is where the player can find all the monsters, their abilities, their 'flavor text' and the secrets that the player has unleashed. The player can open this sacred tome after defeating Book 1 (or Book 4 in the sequel) of Adventure mode. Clips and Giggles is where the comic introductions to each book and theme music of Bookworm Adventures can be found and replayed any time the player wishes. It also features commentary from PopCap Games on creating the game. Players unlock Clips and Giggles by defeating the Arena mode. It is not available in the sequel. Adventure Replay is available only in the sequel. The player can play the 3 books all over again. This mode is rather different from . One difference is that the player will level up after each chapter, and another is that the Level Up bar is replaced with a score bar. Players can also obtain badges if they do a special task. For instance, one task might be to spell 12 consecutive words that start with the same letter and another might be to spell a word with eleven or more letters. The badges have four levels; bronze, silver, gold and platinum. Players unlock this feature after defeating Adventure mode.Tile types
Letter tiles usually appear in the grid as unremarkable, standard tiles containing one or (in the case of the 'Qu' tile) two letters. However, tiles of different types, with either positive or negative attributes, can appear during play. These attributes then impact the game when the tile is used to form a word. Such attributes include:- Gems - Tiles can turn into colored gems when the player spells longer words. The longer the individual word used, the more powerful the gem tile granted. These gems have various positive effects, such as increasing the damage done by the word, healing Lex, or adding elements to an attack such as poison or flame. Keep in mind that garnet tiles are more common than sapphire tiles. The seven available gems are, in order of increasing rarity:
- AmethystAmethystAmethyst is a violet variety of quartz often used in jewelry. The name comes from the Ancient Greek ἀ a- and μέθυστος methustos , a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from drunkenness; the ancient Greeks and Romans wore amethyst and made drinking vessels of it in the belief...
(purple) - Poisons enemy for 2 turns, adds 15% damage to the word. - EmeraldEmeraldEmerald is a variety of the mineral beryl colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the 10 point Mohs scale of mineral hardness...
(green) - Heals Lex for 2 hearts, adds 20% damage to the word. - SapphireSapphireSapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...
(blue) - Freezes the enemy for 1 turn, adds 25% damage to the word. - GarnetGarnetThe garnet group includes a group of minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. The name "garnet" may come from either the Middle English word gernet meaning 'dark red', or the Latin granatus , possibly a reference to the Punica granatum , a plant with red seeds...
(orange) - Weakens the enemy's attacks for 2 turns, adds 30% damage to the word. - RubyRubyA ruby is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum . The red color is caused mainly by the presence of the element chromium. Its name comes from ruber, Latin for red. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires...
(red) - Sets enemy on fire for 3 turns, adds 35% damage to the word. - CrystalCrystalA crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
(pink) - Purifies Lex and the grid, shields Lex from damage and negative effects for 1 turn, adds 50% damage to word. - DiamondDiamondIn mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
(white) - Fully heals Lex, gives one of each potion type, adds 100% damage to word.
- Amethyst
- Locked - Locked tiles cannot be used at all to form words for a certain number of turns. These tiles result from the attacks of certain foes like the MinotaurMinotaurIn Greek mythology, the Minotaur , as the Greeks imagined him, was a creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, "part man and part bull"...
.
- Smashed - Smashed tiles can be used to form words, but do not add to the damage of the word. As a result, using these tiles produces less damage than would normally be generated. As with the previous negative tiles, these tiles also result from the attacks of certain foes, like PolyphemusPolyphemusPolyphemus is the gigantic one-eyed son of Poseidon and Thoosa in Greek mythology, one of the Cyclopes. His name means "much spoken of" or "famous". Polyphemus plays a pivotal role in Homer's Odyssey.-In Homer's Odyssey:...
.
- Plague - Similar to smashed tiles (see above), plague tiles can be used to form words without adding damage to the word, but additionally have the ability to spread their condition to other tiles if not quickly used. These tiles result from the attacks of certain more powerful enemies, like NessusNessusNessus can have a number of meanings:* Nessus , a famous centaur from Greek mythology* The Tunic or Shirt of Nessus, the poisoned shirt of the centaur Nessus, in the story of Hercules...
.
Scrambles
The "scramble" feature from the original title returns in Bookworm Adventures, allowing players to replace their current grid of letters with an entirely new set. The cost of doing this is forfeiting a turn, so that the enemy gets a "free" attack.Potions
In addition to equipped items, players can also earn consumable potions, which can be used (once each) for an immediate benefit. Using these does not cost the player his or her turn, and hence the enemy does not get a free attack. The potion varieties consist of healing potions, potions which power up the next attack, and potions which cure any negative status conditions and/or negative tiles.While potions can be acquired gradually by defeating foes, potions (and, later in the game, gems) can also be awarded for playing separate word-based mini-games between stages. In such mini-games, the player must try and guess a secret word (using a Mastermind
Mastermind (board game)
Mastermind or Master Mind is a code-breaking game for two players. The modern game with pegs was invented in 1970 by Mordecai Meirowitz, an Israeli postmaster and telecommunications expert, but the game resembles an earlier pencil and paper game called bulls and cows that may date back a century or...
-like system), or must try and form as many words as possible from a set of letters. The more skillfully the player plays these mini-games, the greater the reward. In the sequel, you can only have the maximum of 10 potions of each type.
Treasures
There are about 18 treasures in the first game and 13 treasures in the sequel, 6 treasures in each book in the first game, however in the sequel, the number of treasures obtained is 1 treasure in the prologue, 7 treasures in Book 4, 4 treasures in Book 5, and 1 treasure in Book 6. It is because the treasures in the sequel are more on companions and upgrades. The treasures aid Lex in his journey. These treasures have abilities that help Lex in his battles such as using certain letters for additional damage, give gems more damage, spelling certain words for more damage, and makes some resistance such as burn, poison, power down, petrify, stun and smashing and locking of tiles. Most treasures may upgrade for best effects and improved abilities, mostly in the sequel.Enemy attacks and abilities
In the game, you can see what attacks and abilities the enemy can use, located at the bottom-right portion of the screen. Some attacks can combine two or more effects.- Common attacks
- Damage- Damages Lex.
- Burn- Burns Lex, damaging him each turn. Damage factor decreases by 2. In the sequel, its damage factor sometimes increases by 2 and decreases by 1/4 heart.
- Cut- Causes Lex to bleed, damaging him each turn. Damage factor increases by 2. In the sequel, its damage factor sometimes decreases by 2.
- Poison- Poisons Lex, damaging him each turn. Damage factor is constant. In the sequel, its damage factor sometimes decreases by 2.
- Power Down- Temporarily weakens Lex's attacks by an amount of damage. Heavily weakens Lex when enemies are armored.
- "Missing turn" attacks
- Stun- Stuns Lex for 1 turn.
- Freeze- Freezes Lex for 1 turn.
- Petrify- Petrifies Lex for 2 turns.
- Tile attacks
- Smash Tile- Smashes one or more tiles. Smashed tiles can be used, but they will not cause any damage.
- Lock Tile- Locks one or more tiles. Locked tiles cannot be used for a short while.
- Plague Tile- Infects one or more tiles. Like smashed tiles, plague tiles don't cause damage. If not used quickly, the plague may spread to other tiles.
- Gem Steal- Steals any available gems in the grid. In the sequel, enemies may steal more than one gem at once.
- Alter Tile- Changes current letters in some tiles.
- Helping attacks of enemy
- Heal/Life Leech- Heals enemy. Life leech causes the enemy to steal some of Lex's life for his or her own use.
- Purify- Purifies enemy of status ailments.
- Power up- Boosts enemy's next attack.
- Abilities
- Bonus Categories- Spelling words in a certain category, such as 'metals' or 'felines' makes a boosted damage attack to the enemy.
- Immunity- The enemy may be immune to certain ailments, such as poison, or words with four or less letters.
- Armored- Monster is resistant to damage.
- Heavily Armored-Monster is very resistant to damage.
- Weakness-A certain status condition damages the monster more heavily than normal.
Note: In the sequel, the armored status is now separate from the enemy lore. The armor icon is visible at the bottom right of the enemy, similar how status ailments appear. Armored turns to lightly armored and heavily armored turns to moderately armored. Unlike bonus categories and immunity, weakness has disappeared from the sequel.
Enemy Attacks and Abilities:
Here, you will be able to see some of the attacks and abilities enemies have.
For example: Mostly enemies have a basic attack
It is symbolized by a sword.
Also, they usually have a defensive attack, like Regenerate,Power Up, or Purify and other defensive attacks. They are symbolized by a shield or a heart and a green fist.
Also, most foes have one or more status attacks. The most common are Poison, Ice, Stun, Fire, Bleed and Tile smash.
Sequel
Bookworm Adventures: Volume 2 was released in July 31, 2009.It features the same basic gameplay as the first edition, except there are new tile types:
- Cursed - Damages Lex when used in a word. Cursed tiles are produced by foes such as the Bull Demon King.
- Warped - Does not cause any damage to enemy and changes to a hard letter each round. Warped tiles are produced by foes such as the Witch.
- Fire - It can still cause damage, but it can't be purified in the middle of the game. It only disappears when an enemy is defeated (except for survival battles). Once it reaches the bottom of the grid, it burns down and all tiles are smashed. Fire tiles are produced by foes such as the Butterfly. Note: This is the only negative tile that also appeared in the original edition of the game, Bookworm.
- Rainbow - Acts as a wildcard for any letter. It is formed by using 3 or more differently-colored gems in one word. Only one can appear in the grid at any time.
In addition, there are three new attacks:
- Potion Steal- Steals one or more potions. Potion are stolen by enemies such as the Queen Of Hearts.
- Shielding- Shields the enemy and are classified into 3.
- Absorbed- Absorbs the damage taken.
- Reflected- Reflects the damage taken.
- Immunity- Makes the foe immune to certain conditions.
- Stasis - Treasures and companions cannot be used for a short amount of time. Stasis nets are produced by foes such as Skeletrox.
Also, there are unlockable companions that can aid Lex on his quest:
- Mother Goose - Grants a healing potion every 4 turns.
- Cheshire Cat - Purifies Lex and the grid every 4 turns.
- Legendary Master - Stuns the enemy and powers up Lex every 4 turns.
- Monkey KingSun WukongSun Wukong , also known as the Monkey King is a main character in the classical Chinese epic novel Journey to the West . In the novel, he is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices...
- Changes beneficial forms every 4 turns. Fire form burns the enemy when it attacks Lex, ant form slightly increases Lex's damage, iron form slightly armors Lex, cloud form gives Lex a chance to resist harmful effects and tree form slightly heals Lex every turn.
- H. G. WellsH. G. WellsHerbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
- Shields Lex every 4 turns.
- Skeletrox - Upgrades tiles every 4 turns.
The game also introduced 3 new mini-games, as well as keeping the 3 from the original game:
- Word Up! - Spell words to beat Moxie up the hill. The longer the word, the farther up the hill you go.
- Golden Coins - Spell words to gain coins and fill up the five rows. Five coins equals one row. Gold letters are worth 2 coins. You can only spell 5 words, so choose carefully!
- Mutant Words - Help Moxie unscramble the mutant words. There are 3 words, each one sharing a common theme, such as 'vegetable' words or 'music' words. The faster you unscramble the words, the more prizes you earn.
It should also be noted that, unlike in the first game, you can now choose which mini-game you want to play.
Furthermore, unlike the first game, you can replay the Adventure mode (Adventure Replay) once you completed it.
External links
- Bookworm Adventures at PopCap Games