LOK Digital

LOK Digital (2024) is a word search puzzle about spotting a handful of alien words to black out each grid. Success isn't just finding the words, but deciding which to select first and which tiles to black out to ensure you can succeed. It stands out for the interwoven narrative and how its limited word count leads to word search conundrums.

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Based on the puzzle book by Blaž Urban Gracar, you use the language of a strange alien race to solve puzzles that slowly allow you to interpret their story. You select words on a grid to black out the letters until all tiles are blacked out. Each word has a different ability. LOK lets you blank an extra cell. TLAK doubles LOK’s power.

The challenge lies not in finding the words, but rather in selecting the right ones at the right time; you can only make words from letters in a line, but blacked-out tiles are ignored, so you need to carefully plan which words and tiles to eliminate to ensure you don't get stuck. Combine this with the different word's tile-blanking abilities, and what starts as a simple task soon requires logical thinking and careful planning.

The result is a game that blends stylized visuals, an abstract story, and unusual word-based interactions to create a novel experience. To complete a level requires a deep understanding of the game's mechanics, resulting in an engaging, thoughtful challenge.

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Our examiner, Ben Kendall, first checked LOK Digital a year ago. It was re-examined by Ellen Robertson and updated 2 weeks ago.