Thank you Lightwood Games for sending us a review code!

Throughout the years, we have reviewed many Powgi puzzle games.  Unlike many titles that have appeared in various collections, Letterbox is the first of its kind that I have played.  In total, there are one hundred and twenty puzzles to solve.  The retail price is $7.99, but I have seen it for $3.99 on sale.  

The formula is the same for each of the puzzles, so there’s no difficulty spike to be concerned about  Each puzzle has a nine-letter word that has its letters available to fill in the 3X3 grid.  The letters can only be used once.  On the edges of the 3X3 grid are letters for the beginning and ending of the six five-letter words that you get to complete.  

The words must make sense vertically and horizontally.  I never have been able to figure them out from the get go, therefore dashing any hopes of competing in Wheel of Fortune.  I did the trial and error method by trying various letters and using the error check feature to see if there were any issues or not.  That’s about as close to a hint system as you’ll find in this game.  

Logic can and should be applied to avoid spamming the error checking capabilities.  For example, the letter Q is usually followed up by a U.  More often than not, the T and W letters are usually accompanied by an H. Vowel placements are relatively easy to predict, the hardest part is figuring out which vowel if you have no idea what the word is vertically or horizontally.

Once you solve a puzzle, you’ll be shown how long it took you to complete it and you’ll then be treated to a corny joke or pun.  More often than not, the jokes are tied to the theme word. For example, in the Neutering puzzle the pun says “Neutering your pets makes them less nuts.”   My favorite joke in this game was:  “How do you make a barista cry?   With a very dark roast!”  

Visually, the graphics are pretty simple, so my Xbox Series X didn’t have to flex too much to run this game.  The background music is typical to other Powgi games and my kids recognized it immediately.

If you enjoy word puzzles and previous Powgi titles, Letterbox by Powgi is worth looking into.  It’s available on all modern consoles and should run great on any of them.  Replayability is limited to beating your previous completion times.  If you can pick this game up while it’s on sale for 50% off, it’s definitely worth considering.