WORDSCOOP! With Gelato the Otter

Gelato needs your help, cadet! To keep their intergalactic ice-cream truck running, they need to harness the power of the mystical SPACE RUNES that float throughout the cosmos. Luckily, these runes prefer to bind themselves to frozen desserts!

However, these runes are fickle, and their magic only works when they are used to spell words from an arcane language known by some as "English."

That's where you come in! Though Gelato is great at speaking their native language (Intergalactic Standard Mammal,) they only know a few English words. As their cadet, it's up to you to use your lexicon to find the words hidden among the scoops!

Gameplay

The gameplay of WordScoop is simple! You are given a matrix of ice cream scoops, each with a letter on them. Your goal is to find words by connecting adjacent scoops! You can go in any direction you want, but they have to be contiguous. When the word is ready, click again on the last scoop to submit it.

If you spell longer words, bonus sprinkles will appear on existing scoops! Submitting a word with these will apply a multiplier to the points you earn from it.

Be careful, however! Relying too much on short words will cause more VOID scoops to spawn. These greedy creatures love eating both RUNES and ice cream, so you can bet that they're trouble! They appear at the top of the screen and gradually eat their way down, so make sure they don't hit the bottom. Otherwise, it's game over. 

Modes

Puzzle Mode:

The game moves when you do! Every time you submit a word, new VOID scoops have a chance of spawning, and existing ones burn the scoop below them, making their way to the bottom. Take your time and plan ahead to make sure that doesn't happen!

Cascade Mode:

The game moves without you! VOIDs spawn on their own, and work their way to the bottom of the screen on a timer. Stay on your toes to keep the game rolling! 

Timed Mode: 

VOIDs aren't a problem, but only for a few minutes! How many words can you spell in the time allotted? Make sure to rack up as many bonus sprinkles as you can!

Chill Mode:

Practice your word-searching techniques! VOIDs don't spawn, but neither do bonus sprinkles. This mode does not keep score, so don't sweat it! 

Features

Dictionary: 

Not sure what word is/isn't allowed? Want a definition to prove that it's a real word? Use the in-game dictionary screen to double-check! 

Options Menu: 

For the sake of accessibility, WordScoop features a screen that allows you to enable/disable sound, music, and unnecessary motion effects such as particles, screen-wipes, and scrolling.

High Scores:

What fun would arcade game be without keeping score? Upon game over, you'll be asked to enter your name to be placed on the leaderboard. Each mode has its own table (except Chill, of course.)