Word Domination review

So, a friend of mine just introduced me to the game Word Domination, and while I normally don't feel prompted to write reviews on game apps, I felt the need to do so in this case.

Word Domination is similar to Scrabble (Words With Friends), where players see a board with colored squares which read TW (triple word), TL (triple letter), DW (double word), DL (double letter), etc., and the two players are provided 7 tiles a piece. That's where the similarities begin to end, however. Unlike in Words With Friends, you only have 5 turns to rack up as many points as possible in Word Domination, and not only that, but for each of those 5 turns, you only have 75 seconds to make your move. The board is also smaller. Then there are the boosters. This is where I'll split my reviews into two.

5-star review (out of 5 stars) - initial boosters only

If you're just starting out, chances are both you and your newbie opponent will both possess the same three boosters: 1) Time-freeze: You're able to save yourself a few more seconds on a turn, if you're feeling stuck. 2) Amplify: You can increase a single tile's value by 1 point. 3) Shuffle: You'll have three random tiles discarded and replaced. It should be noted that each of these boosters can only be used once a piece in a game. 

The game gets an easy 5 stars from me at this stage. The boosters are fairly minor in significance, not giving either player a significant advantage, and the game is fast-moving. Unlike in Words With Friends, where you're forced to wait 5+ days for an opponent to take their turn, you're guaranteed to finish a live game of Word Domination in 15 minutes, tops. If this were the game in its entirety, I'd given it 5 out of 5 stars; highly recommend it; and even go so far as to say it's better than Words With Friends. However...

1-star review (out of 5 stars) - additional boosters

Once you start racking up victories, and with that trophy points, you'll start to face stiffer competition, and when that happens, prepare to be shocked. 

I say that, because many of these players possess boosters which go above and beyond the initial three, and provide an incredibly significant advantage to them in the process. Here are just a few I've had played against me:

- Add an 8th tile (a 7-tile word still results in an additional 50 points)

- Block your opponent's boosters for a turn

- See your opponent's tiles

- Set two of your tiles' values to 15 (Z, J, and Q are the most valuable tiles, at 10 a piece)

- Set one of your tile's values to 10

- Make every colored square DW/TW

- Make all your tiles' value between 2 and 5

- Add 30 seconds to your time limit and take 30 seconds away from your opponent's

- Get more boosters

- Show best word available

Please keep in mind you can play all your boosters on one turn, if you so choose. So, it's possible for a player to possess 2 15-point tiles and 5 10-point tiles on a turn where they make every colored square TW, all while blocking you from using boosters on your next turn and trimming your allotted time from 75 to 45 seconds, and being given the best word on the board. I've seen players rack up 300+ points on a single turn using these boosters. That's not intelligence; that's not skill; that's BS. How do you attain these insane boosters? How else? Money. So, in other words, the game has it where those willing to fork over money can dominate Word Domination without playing a single word, let alone possessing an exceptional vocabulary. This has to be the worst word game I've ever experienced. 

Overall Review: 3 out of 5 stars

If you only play against friends who don't spend money purchasing the ridiculous boosters, this is a great game. It's fun, quick, and addictive. However, if you are set on playing against many random opponents, be prepared for disappointment, for that fun and addiction quickly transitions to anger and frustration.