Thank you Lightwood Games for sending us this game to review!

Word searches are a fun way to kill some time. Fifty Words by POWGI provides sixty puzzles for your solving pleasure. Each puzzle contains fifty words in various directions (forwards, backwards, upside down, and diagonal). The sixty levels are all themed, so solving ones unfamiliar to you may be trickier. The good news is that there are very few wasted letters so most of them (if not all) will be used.

Unlike traditional word searches, these puzzles are all over the place and are not in the typical rectangular shape. Another feature is that each found word will be highlighted in a randomly chosen color. The end results are very colorful. The colors seem to change for every level so there is some variety in that regard. You can customize the color palette if desired.

When a puzzle is completed, the time taken to solve it will be saved and you’ll be shown a goofy pun as a reward for your efforts. One example is “I love vegetable puns. They make me feel good from my head tomatoes.” Though you can improve your solving time by redoing a puzzle, the quality of jokes can’t be helped. On average, the puzzles took me close to seven minutes apiece to complete.

I love the portability of the Switch and being able to play this game on the go is a plus over the PS4 version. You can always resume a puzzle if you have to leave before finishing it. The touch screen is also convenient for selecting the words. The Joy-Cons work just as well though.

Overall, the interface is easy to use and navigate. I like how you can switch it to a dark theme if you prefer that over the default light one. There are no hints in this title. As long as a letter is still solid black, you’ll have a use for it later.

The background music is upbeat and familiar. I’m quite sure I’ve heard it in a previous title from Lightwood Games.

Morally this game is pretty clean though it should be noted that some puzzles have questionable words and themes. There’s a rock band puzzle that has the Buzzcocks as a word to highlight. There’s also a dating themed puzzle that has the words cocktail, bar, and wine in it.

If you enjoy word searches, Fifty Words by POWGI has got you covered. It’s colorful, but not ground-breaking. This $7.99 title is bound to keep you entertained for a few hours. Though it has some questionable words, it can be enjoyed by puzzle lovers of all ages.