This new roguelike from Goldeneye 007 and Timesplitters devs is the last thing you'd expect from two FPS legends

Balatro transformed poker into one of the best roguelike games ever made, and in the wake of its huge success, we've seen so many other physical games and pastimes get similar treatment. Now, it's Scrabble's turn. Beyond Words brings the addictive multipliers and rule-bending modifiers of Balatro to the iconic board game, and as someone who often points to Scrabble first in the annual 'what will we play while recovering from a Christmas Day food coma' debate, this is music to my ears. However, the most surprising thing about this game is its creators.

In the late '90s and early 2000s, the FPS genre produced so many all-time classics. Two that really pushed boundaries and created memorable action were Timesplitters and Goldeneye, and on the credits of both games you'll find the duo of David Doak and Stephen Ellis. If I heard that the pair were returning all these years later to make a new game, I'd put a decent chunk of money on it being a first-person shooter. Instead, they're coming back under the banner of MindFuel Games to give us Beyond Words. See, this is why I don't bet…

For anyone well-acquainted with Scrabble, you'll immediately feel at home in Beyond Words. The goal is to fill a board with letter tiles to spell words, but the most obscure letters will be worth more points. The longer and more complex your word is, the greater the score you'll get for it - if you manage to get 'oxyphenbutazone' down on the board, you're basically a god.

However, you can forget about a standard, square board - things are far more unconventional here, with unusual layouts that encourage tactical use of the tiles at your disposal. Plus, those Balatro elements need to be considered. As you progress, you'll unlock more modifiers that you can apply to a match, which can do everything from change the value of certain letter tiles, add big multipliers to specific squares, and drop power ups onto the board as well. There are over 300 modifiers, apparently, so there are a fair few combos to experiment with.

While I'm not totally sold on the visuals (it does have an air of 'free mobile word game' about it) I can't help but be hooked by one of my favorite board games getting the Balatro treatment. Despite just being revealed, there's a free demo that's just gone live on Steam, and I now know exactly what I'll be doing this evening when I clock off…

MindFuel Games says that Beyond Words will launch in "early 2026" on Steam and consoles.

It could face some stiff competition, with Balatro-infused takes on mahjong, slot machines, solitaire, and more all out in the wild. But for the wordsmiths out there, it looks like it could be a real winner.