Digital word games are having a renaissance, and Amazon Luna has just unveiled the next winning word title now available exclusively on GameNight -- Letter Trek. Best described by its Design Director, Tarik Soliman, "Letter Trek is a fun, frolicking pair of word games themed around a carefree summer road trip." With a charming style—all art is hand-drawn—and an intuitive interface, this is a game the whole family can enjoy and will want to replay on every screen!
At its core, Letter Trek is an infinitely approachable game in which you spell your way through road trip themed word-based puzzle games as you compete with up to three friends to try and reach your highest scores. "Our goal was to allow players to engage in good-natured competition, while offering different challenges for all player types. We absolutely love word games," offered Tariq.
But for Letter Trek to stand out from the crowd and entertain even beyond game-play dynamics, developer Hidden Variable Studios paid special attention to the game’s concept and cozy aesthetics. "We knew we wanted to do something upbeat and vibey, something that was bursting with color and full of fun. After some exploration, we ended up building the entire experience around the concept of a bunch of friends on a road trip. Each stop on the trip would be a different word game. We played around with many more destinations (and games) but for now, settled on two - the Beach and Desert Canyon."
Letter Trek indeed features two game modes: Sandy Stacks, where players build a crossword style tower and Lightning Letters, where players race to spell words from a randomized set of letters.
"For a lot of us at the studio, playing word games with family and friends has been a staple of holidays and trips since childhood," added Sarah Barker, Lead Producer. "A road trip - evoking the feeling of 'getting away from it all' and going on an adventure with your loved ones - was a perfect fit for the word game experience we were designing for GameNight. Thus, Letter Trek and our merry band of characters was born."
As for the gameplay, players are always looking for tips, and Sarah has them. "Lightning Letters is a fast-paced mode where you search for words in a jumbled grid of letters. You will be rewarded for spelling a given word before other players, so speed is of the essence!"
"Our top tip for Sandy Stacks - a chilled-out crossword builder that rewards you with more points as you build into the sky - is to try and be the first to reach the next score zone."
"For players who prefer a more relaxed start, check out the settings for each game. You can tweak the time of each game session and other parameters."
"Other than that," added Tariq, "connect your phone and dive right in! The best way to improve is to keep playing. And as a last pro tip, keep an eye out for a rather cheeky sasquatch named Sassy, who may pop up with additional hints along the way!"
"Both game modes are easy to pick up, with speedy rounds that leave you wanting 'just one more’ try," offered Darren Malley, Lead Designer. "Letter Trek is perfect for huddling around the TV and socializing with friends and family over the course of an evening."
Further, "the controls will be familiar to anyone who has played mobile games or newspaper word puzzles, and are easily accessible to players of all ages, regardless of their gaming experience," added Sarah. "Come for chill word games that feel both new and familiar, and stay for the surprisingly intense competition, cheery music, and adorable artwork. Warning - these games are hard to put down!"
Built for a dual-screen experience, Letter Trek joins Amazon Luna’s GameNight collection of social party games playable right from your living room and phone. GameNight games are designed to be easily played (and replayed) together with family and friends.
