Simply Sweet Games is a women-founded indie studio based in Canada. They’ve launched their debut title, Criss Cross Castle, on mobile today. It’s a fantasy word puzzle game that mixes classic storytelling with modern language tech.
It has adaptive puzzle mechanics
Criss Cross Castle is set in the enchanted realm of Lexiconia. You step into a world where the Illiterati have erased written language, plunging the land into a bleak Dark Age of Ignorance. With no stories left to tell, you pick up scattered words like magical artefacts and restore the tales of the land.
The game turns vocabulary into your most powerful weapon. You’ll be casting words like spells to unlock paths, treasures, and secrets throughout a branching map. There are word jumbles, exploration, and even encounters with travelling merchants.
You play as either Wanda or Pip. Wanda is a witch who gardens as easily as she bends language. Pip is a young squire hiding something behind their shield and strategy. Why don’t you catch a glimpse of the game below?
There are mini-games too, light-hearted detours between the more intense vocabulary duels. Hidden scrolls, bonus challenges, and side quests are also aplenty.
Criss Cross Castle builds an entire world around the concept of literacy and language
Simply Sweet Games has driven the game with a custom-built language engine that uses basic large language model techniques. It allows the game to scale difficulty based on your vocabulary and even helps support ESL players while filtering out inappropriate content.
The game is now live on the Google Play Store. It’s free to play. The devs are also planning a release for the Epic Games Store for Android users who prefer that platform.
Also, before leaving, be sure to read our next scoop on SETTRIS, an Underwater-Themed Tetris, Now Out on Android.
