The word game genre is filled with “me too” apps that look nearly identical, with only slight visual differences. However, cool graphics are only the start. You need a solid and original game to base them on, which most word games don’t have. Luckily, iAssociate 2 isn’t like most word games.
iAssociate 2 is all about filling in a web graph with words associated with one another. Each word must have some relation to every word connected to it, either in a literal or abstract way. For example, you could link Crazy to Nuts to Peanut.
At the start of a level, you’re given a single word and linked words. Each correct word you find opens up new links with word boxes. Each word box tells you how many letters the word is, and some consist of multiple words.
It may sound complicated, but the game has a lot of features in place to prevent aggravation. For starters, there’s an interactive tutorial and help menu, both of which thoroughly explain how to play in an easy-to-understand fashion.
If you type in an incorrect word with letters in the correct order, the game will keep those letters. For example, if the word is Castle and you type in Camel, the C and A will stay. This doesn’t apply to golden word boxes.
On top of all this, iAssociate 2 provides you with a great hint system. This system reveals the next letter in a word you’re struggling with. Each level has a set number of hints. You can also make a post to Facebook for help.
On the downside, iAssociate 2 has a fairly insignificant but still irritating UI problem where the menu bar becomes unusable in landscape mode. We hope the developers address this, either by fixing it or removing it from landscape altogether.
As for pricing, the game comes loaded with six levels, including the tutorial, for free. Another two free levels are available for download. 10 level packs are available for $0.99 apiece, if you feel inclined to buy more content. Some of the packs give two or three puzzles for the price of one.
Even if you’re not interested in buying more content, you should definitely give iAssociate 2 a try. After all, where else can you find a way to make a link between a square and a mankini?