Word Blossom

Word Blossom is a word puzzle video game developed by independent studio Silver Lining Games, first released in 2023 for mobile platforms and later ported to personal computers. The game presents a hexagonal grid of letter tiles, each bearing a single character. The objective is to form valid English words by connecting adjacent tiles in any direction, including diagonally. Each word must contain a minimum of three letters. The central tile of the grid is highlighted and must be included in every submitted word. The game draws from a curated dictionary of common and uncommon words, excluding proper nouns, abbreviations, and hyphenated terms. Points are awarded based on word length, with longer words yielding higher scores. A bonus multiplier is applied for words that use all available tiles on the board, known as a "full bloom." The game features a daily puzzle mode with a fixed grid and a free-play mode with procedurally generated boards. No timer is present in standard play, allowing unlimited time per puzzle. The interface displays a running score, a list of found words, and a progress bar indicating the percentage of possible words discovered. The game does not include advertisements or in-app purchases in its base version.

Gameplay and controls are executed through a touchscreen or mouse interface. To form a word, the player selects a starting tile by tapping or clicking on it. The player then drags the cursor or finger across adjacent tiles to connect them in sequence. Each selected tile is highlighted, and the current letter string is displayed in a text box at the top of the screen. The player may release the input to submit the word. If the word is valid and includes the central tile, it is added to the found list and the score is updated. If the word is invalid, a brief visual cue indicates rejection, and the selection is cleared. The player may also deselect tiles by reversing the drag path or tapping a clear button. The game provides a shuffle function, activated by a button on the side, which rearranges the positions of all tiles on the grid without changing the letters. A hint button reveals one undiscovered word, but its use reduces the final score for that puzzle. The interface includes a settings menu for adjusting sound effects, haptic feedback, and text size. The game automatically saves progress for the daily puzzle and allows the player to resume from the last state. No keyboard input is required; all interactions are gesture-based.