Steam Next Fest challenged me with a word game that also contained fractions

It isn't fair to say that Balatro was the first roguelike to take something relatively mundane, like playing cards, and turn it into a fascinating roguelike. I didn't expect to be all-in on jokers and flushes and finding just the right seed to get overpowered, but I was absolutely hooked for longer than I'd care to admit.

Cursed Words is another roguelike taking on the normal, only instead of a damned fruit machine or a deck of playing cards, it's letters. It's Boggle - with about 50 other things going on, but I guess you could say it's mainly about the words. Connecting letters on a randomized grid to form words awards you points, with the threshold to complete each stage increasing as you progress.

All fairly simple so far, but as I played through the demo, I found myself looking at more than just letters. As with any game like this worth its salt, Cursed Words gives you the means to scale to an ever-increasing target by purchasing various items that affect the letters on your board in different ways.

One path I found extremely effective took the usual negative Void tiles (which lower your score, rather than increase it) and flipped them into a boon, awarding you points for each surrounding letter used. Couple this with a multiplier based on how much money I had, and it was easy going.

This didn't last very long, however, as I unlocked a character that adds numbers to the board. Numbers and letters don't usually mix unless you're dabbling in algebra, which I am most certainly not. These numbers acted as wildcards - any letter you like, basically - but only if used in the correct position in the word corresponding to their value. A one, for instance, is only usable if it's the first letter of your word.

I picked up another item that turned these numbers into fractions. Instead of complicating matters, as I definitely thought they would, it actually just gives you two chances at using these tiles. A three could turn into a third, for instance, which lets me use it first, or third in a word. If it sounds complicated, it really isn't, although explaining letters, fractions, and numbers in this setting is sending my head west somewhat, so I understand.

What I'm saying is, this isn't just about the letters, and there appears to be plenty here to offer a deep experience in a well-trodden area. Cursed Words has a demo out right now ahead of its release sometime in 2026. Slay the Spire 2 should sate my roguelike cravings when that comes out, but it's good to know I have more to dig into well into the year.