Review of Dabble: The Fast Thinking Word Game

By Roberto Flores

In addition to being a fun, word-based puzzle game, Dabble is also on iOS and Android. Unfortunately, the game is hindered by some of the rules - but I'll get to that later. At the heart of all versions of the game are 20 random letter tiles. Players are tasked with unscrambling these into 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 letter words on a tiered, triangular game boards.

Pretty sure "Lur_H" isn't a word, INI.
(promo image from INI, LLC's website)

In the app version, there is a solo version where you are simply given five minutes and scored based on how quickly you find a solution. The dictionary is pretty robust, which would seem like a no-brainer, good dictionaries are vital for word-based mobile games. However, it's impressive to see them included even with games from smaller developers. The single player mobile game has been an absolute win for me. The board game follows the same structure and rules, and you can play solo to have a similar experience. 

There is also a mobile two-player challenge mode that, frustratingly, I haven’t been able to play due to a bug with Facebook login on my phone. So the obvious solution would be to just play the physical game, but the 2-4 player physical game has some problematic rules.

Players all pull 20 tiles and race to be the first one to fill their board. Players who complete their board, tally up points for not only their words but also bonus points for other players' unused tiles. The first few times I played, everything went great. People were excited and rushed to fill their boards, and as with any word game, people tried to justify gibberish

On second thought, "Lur_H" could be a cromulent word.
(Simpsons © Fox, image via an ancient Fark thread)

One of our players, who wasn't as into word games as the rest of us, began to feel frustrated after a while. They gave up on winning entirely, and simply left all the high-value tiles off their rack. The new goal became boosting the more skilled player's score so that the game could end more quickly. Of course, with any game it helps to have players who are roughly the same skill level. But the bonus points for other players' shortcomings merely adds insult to injury.

As someone who has struggled with dyslexia, but still enjoys word games, I can see how it could be discouraging. The simple fix is simply not to use the “Leftover Tile” rule. Or you could also ignore tile points and assign a set number of victory points for first place, second place, etc. There isn't one perfect fix for the issue and it won’t be a problem for all players, but for a game billed as kid-friendly and educational, I find it a little annoying.

I don't want to leave you with the impression that I hated Dabble, it’s a great mental exercise for all ages, especially if you have a smart phone or tablet. Drop a couple dollars on the app and you won’t be disappointed. Just make sure to try it there first. Then if you like it, think about getting the board game, especially if you have kids. Just be prepared to possibly do a little rules tweaking. 

No one to stomp you down Monopoly-style (start clip at 00:47).
(image from INI's mobile game site)

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have five minutes to spare and some letters to unscramble.