WHAT WE’RE PLAYING

Words Without Friends

Words With Friends 2 Word Game

Multiplayer Puzzle Board Games

View

It’s ironic given the name of the game, but one of the most requested features of Words with Friends has been the ability to play, well, without friends.

According to Gurpreet Singh, Zynga’s director of product, fans say they want a single-player option for two reasons: to practice these crossword contests without their opponent making fun of them, and to be able to play while waiting for friends and family to take their next turns.

Thus was born Words with Friends 2’s solo mode. No friends? No problem. Now all you need are your words as you battle tile-slinging bots powered by artificial intelligence.

Zynga calls these virtual opponents WordMasters. They’re rendered as hand-illustrated avatars with quirky names like Shakes Pear, Edgar Poet, and Mary Seashelly. Don’t underestimate them.

“While some of our bots like to play big, brainy words, others tend to play tricky, defensive moves that will leave our players searching for big-score opportunities,” says Gurpreet.

The goal of solo mode is simple. To win the series, score more points than your digital competitor in five moves and beat all the WordMasters before the allotted time runs out. You’ll have plenty of events to choose from, because Zynga is continuously releasing themed and seasonal solo-mode offerings.

Advance through the literary ranks, improve your skills, and you might finally be ready to take down that smug member of your extended family who somehow always outscores you.