Buzz
Every time I think I've seen every possible twist on Wordle, a new game emerges that introduces a new element I hadn't even thought about. This time, it's competition—and speed.
In Squabble, you face off against others in a Wordle-inspired game played in real-time. The rules are the same as usual: green means a letter is correctly placed, yellow indicates it's in the word but not in the correct spot. You can only guess valid dictionary words, and you're allowed just six attempts.
What makes Squabble intriguing is the addition of a health bar. If you've played role-playing games with a health meter, you'll recognize the concept: you start with 100 hit points, losing one point every second. At first, I thought, 'Oh no, I'm taking damage just by being here!' But then I realized I could just treat it as a 100-second countdown timer.
But there's more to it! When you make a correct guess and earn green squares, you actually gain health. Meanwhile, if your opponents guess right, they deal damage to you. If everyone is stuck, your health meters will decrease at the same pace, but once someone gets a correct answer, their health increases while yours drops.
In Squabble, it doesn't matter if you've run out of guesses on your board. As long as you have HP remaining, you're still in the game and move on to the next word. The goal is to be the last player standing.
You can join a 'battle royale' game with up to 99 players, or opt for a 'blitz' game with five or fewer. Just hit 'find game' and wait for others to join, or share a lobby code if you're playing with a friend. It may take a while for the battle royale lobby to fill up, but if you have a group of friends, sharing the code could create a decent-sized match.
And then, aim to beat them! The words in Squabble are tougher than the ones in classic Wordle; I encountered tricky words like LIBER (a book of records) and MUREX (a type of snail). If you lose, you can stay in the game as a spectator, and at the end, you'll get a rundown of the words you missed.
