Though Quarrel made its first splash on smartphones, it was initially conceived as a Live Arcade game. Now it finally reaches its original target with new features to challenge eager wordsmiths.
Quarrel plays out as a mixture of classic board games Scrabble and Risk — and yet, the result feels unique. Players take turns battling for control of the board, one territory at a time. Each territory can hold a munchkin militia of up to eight units, representing the number of letters at your disposal when attacking or defending. The genius of Quarrel is that clever use of high-scoring letters can help a three- or four-letter word topple someone else’s five- or six-letter word. So while there’s still power in numbers, Quarrel favors the use of a large vocabulary over large armies.
This XBLA version has several modes. By yourself you can battle nine distinct A.I. personalities in Domination, try a series of challenges, engage in one-on-one showdowns, or jump into a random quickmatch. The A.I. offers nice practice, but unfortunately, it hasn’t been adjusted to reflect the extra time needed to enter words using a controller rather than a touch-screen. Online multiplayer, where up to four players can compete, is a much better option. Two- and three-player matches seem to be Quarrel’s sweet spot, as four-person matches often leave at least one player knocked out and waiting a half-hour or more for the next round to begin.
Quarrel does have some odd quirks, such as claiming words like “Monday” don’t exist while accepting more obscure words. But for logophiles, its mix of strategy and vocabulary is a true pleasure.
PUBLISHER: UTV Ignition • DEVELOPER: Denki • ESRB: Everyone 10+ • MULTIPLAYER: 2–4 on Xbox Live • ACHIEVEMENTS: Time-consuming • COST: 400 Microsoft Points ($5)
+ A blend of Scrabble and Risk that actually works!
+ Online multiplayer opens the game to limitless opponents.
– Some common words don’t register; getting knocked out early means waiting a long time to play again.
? Why does it favor British spelling without an American English option?
