Community Embraces New Word Game at Mid-Year Play Day This past Sunday, families at Takoma Park’s Seventh Annual Mid-Year Play Day had the opportunity to experience OtherWordly for the first time. Our educational language game drew curious children and parents to our table throughout the afternoon. Words in Space Several children gathered around our iPads […]
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OtherWordly is the first word game to combine physics-based gameplay with semantic puzzles. Players fling solar words through space to match them with orbiting targets, deciphering missing letters and discovering connections while dodging cosmic debris. This galactic word quest trains players to recognize connections between concepts, spot patterns across disciplines, and question binary thinking—all while adapting to every player’s level.
Coming soon to iOS/iPadOS. Learn more at otherwordly.com
A Word Game Unlike Any Other
In OtherWordly, you’re on a mission to save the word-loving Termarians of Alphazoid Prime. A mysterious projectile has caused letters to vanish throughout the galaxy, leaving words incomplete and power systems failing.
Players decipher words with missing letters by using contextual clues. When the solar word is “fruit” and you see “_pp_e” orbiting nearby, your brain fills in “apple.” But here’s the twist: you physically fling these words through space, timing your shots to avoid obstacles and trigger chain reactions. It’s wordplay meets pinball in the cosmos.
Who OtherWordly Serves
IDEA developed OtherWordly over 11 years to teach vocabulary and improve literacy skills across all demographics. The game features:
- 15 adaptive difficulty levels that automatically adjust from English learners to vocabulary experts
- Kid Mode with teacher-crafted content, popup definitions, and age-appropriate themes
- Extensive accessibility options including adjustable letter visibility, colorblind modes, dyslexia-friendly fonts, and motor difficulty accommodations
- Multi-user support perfect for families and classrooms
Fostering Critical Thinking Through Semantic Play
In a world of black-and-white arguments, OtherWordly encourages players to explore semantic relationships and multiple perspectives. By connecting “opposite” concepts or finding unexpected links between ideas, players develop:
- Pattern recognition across languages and cultures
- Divergent thinking strategies
- Nuanced understanding of complex topics
- Cross-cultural awareness through global content
The game creates an immersive environment where players contemplate complexities and nuances of various issues. Through sustained interaction, players become attuned to multiple perspectives on complex topics and develop problem-solving skills using divergent thinking strategies—essential skills for detecting propaganda, bias, and oversimplified reasoning.
Building Vocabulary Through Adventure
While critical thinking is the core benefit, OtherWordly also addresses vocabulary development. A typical 15-year-old whose first language is English knows 19,000 unique words (counting inflections like “quick/quickly” as one, and ignoring proper nouns and jargon). By age 25, that rises to 25,000, and increases another quarter over a person’s lifespan. But there’s a vocabulary gap of over 12,000 words between the lowest 20% and highest 80% of the population. This gap impacts employment opportunities, media literacy, and communication abilities.
Players who engage with OtherWordly daily are exposed to thousands of words monthly and more than 10,000 annually. But unlike rote vocabulary apps, OtherWordly makes learning feel like play. Through 100 levels spanning 7 chapters, players evaluate over 30,000 unique words while unraveling an intergalactic mystery.
What Makes OtherWordly Special
- Innovative Gameplay: The first word game to blend semantic puzzles with physics-based strategy. One-finger controls make it accessible while combo systems and obstacle patterns create depth.
- Massive Linguistic Database: Built on IDEA’s Linguabase—a semantic network of 1.5 million words developed over a decade. Topics range from ice cream to inventions, penguins to Picasso.
- Story-Driven Adventure: Unravel a galactic mystery through 7 chapters and 100 levels. Rescue trapped Termarian characters by completing special challenges, then play as your favorite unlocked avatar.
- Original Soundtrack: 1.5 hours of cosmic music by Yann van der Cruyssen, blending nostalgic chiptune with ambient synths. Available on Spotify and Apple Music.
Recognition & Press
OtherWordly won 4 major awards and was selected as a finalist for several others, including Most Innovative Game (IndiePrize 2019), Games for Good (Serious Play 2021), Best Educational Game (CODiE 2021), and Arts & Humanities (Reimagine Education 2021). The game was repeatedly featured at MAGFest and AwesomeCon, showcased at Develop:Brighton, and earned finalist positions for Best Casual Game (TIGA 2021) and People’s Choice (MEGAMIGS 2021).
In July 2023, OtherWordly received a National Science Foundation SBIR grant (#2304423 ) to develop AI-based algorithms for content generation in word-meaning games.
Media Coverage:
- GameDaily: Indie Prize Spotlight: How IDEA Games learned from its peers to enhance Otherwordly
- PocketGamer: “…thought-provoking puzzler that truly grabbed the judges attention…”
- Dictionary Society of North America: Invited speakers at 2019 conference
Experience the Future of Word Games
OtherWordly represents IDEA’s vision for games that turn vocabulary building and critical thinking into engaging gameplay. By transforming abstract thinking into a physics-based adventure, we’ve created an experience that appeals to puzzle fans, word enthusiasts, educators, and anyone seeking to develop pattern recognition, logical reasoning, and analytical thinking.
Sign up at otherwordly.com to be notified when OtherWordly launches soon.