Wonderful game that needs a slight polish
Wed Oct 13 2021 PathlessI would recommend this game for anyone that appreciates classic novels and word games! The puzzles are fun and can be challenging though nothing too difficult and there are three modes of play that up the challenge you can switch between at any time. There are also, currently, over 100 books to collect without paying additional money!!!!!
My only issue is when I click on any title I get through the “goals” to “buy”, it crashes my game. This is on a 2020 iPad Pro that is regularly updated. Not game breaking at this time, personally, since I have plenty of other books to collect in the store before I run out. That being said, if that issue is fixed I would give this 5 stars (I really want the Dorian Grey book…) None of the store books do this seem to have this issue. It is only the ones you unlock though the goals.
Highly Recommend for Those Who Struggle to Focus While Reading
Mon Aug 15 2022 EarthlingAstridAs someone who struggles with ADHD, and therefore actually sitting down to read a book for long periods of time, Dear Reader creates the perfect balance between user engagement and reading material. It’s been about a week since I started playing, and I’ve already blasted through about five books; granted, most of the books you can purchase are abridged to make playing less tedious, but I’ve never found myself wondering where the plot went or missing out important information. It makes reading a lot easier to just sit down and do, and the puzzles force your brain to slow down, process the words, and further understand syntax and paragraph structure.
Along with encouraging reading the classics, Dear Reader also provides you with links to the public domain Gutenberg Project, which allows anyone to read the full versions of these books for completely free and online. Though, I will say, my hunger for a certain book is usually completely satiated by the time I finish all the chapters and volumes.
As the cherry on top, Dear Reader has a delightful soundtrack, satisfying sound effects, and very clean and eye-catching interface that sticks with you even after you close the app.
Enjoyable Word Play and Reading Fun
Tue Apr 07 2020 RockinannaI am enjoying this game/app immensely right now. As I’ve so far read 90% of these titles, I appreciate the condensed versions for the purpose of the game. It would be more tedious and less fun to read through the full versions of these books while playing.
Overall, I enjoy the goal aspect. I personally like to have some sort of achievements to complete that unlock new things. However, some of these goals I would prefer to delete/archive and allow another to take its place. I don’t like seeing the goal there unless I’m working on it. Or I end up trying to unlock it like the Arduous Journey or The Perfectionist, failing miserably. Having the option to remove it would be ideal! I hope that more goals will be added soon as well since I see that I’ve unlocked 9/16 and would like to try more.
There are some typos. I tried emailing them but the mail was bounced back. So that would be a good added feature to report those.
Nice music. I like the sounds and haptics. Relaxing to play on the Relaxed setting. I enjoy the Page Turner setting the most. The challenges throughout the game are fun and the randomization aspect makes it interesting. For some goals, I would like to be able to choose the type of challenge at the beginning of each chapter. Another feature I would appreciate but doesn’t keep me from playing.
A great game! Enjoyable on so many levels. Love the concept!
“That’s Not A Game!” Yeah, it is!
Tue Aug 01 2023 TexaspuzzleloverI really love this game. Okay, yeah, for the most part you are just proofreading books. It is much more than that though.
The books are abridged, which is fine for this game and works very well. I do find myself addictively playing because I want to know what happens in the next chapter. I found Dorian Gray much more interesting in Dear Reader because Lord Henry’s pedantic diatribes we’re succinct, short, and to the point. I’ve done a few of the harder books and still found myself enjoying learning about things I didn’t think I would find interesting. I’m getting exposed to books I’ve always wanted to read but haven’t gotten around to, and I am learning new things. Fantastic!
If you love reading, word games, writing, or anything else to do with words, you will probably enjoy this game. I really like that you can select your favorite types of Wordplay so you see them more often. I also like that you can drop down a speed/earning level for a more relaxing game or step it up for a super fast-paced game. The mid-level is challenging but not overwhelming.
Developers: Please switch to a QWERTY layout instead of the silly A to Z format that you use, it takes too long to find a letter you know you need and you are penalized for not knowing where it is. We ALL text, most type, QWERTY would be an awesome improvement. Thank you for making this game!
Months of game playing data lost
Thu Jul 29 2021 DDReviewsI have played this game daily for over 18 months. After playing for several months on my iPhone 12, I decided to play it on my iPad 7. When I launched the game I was given a choice of my current game, played the day before or a months old game from the iPad. Of course I chose the current game. It then popped up with the same question but this time the dates on the iPhone and iPad saves were inverted. I chose the latest date and poof months of playing vanished as the old iPad game loaded. I raced to my iPhone and there wasn’t even a choice, it just automatically loaded from the cloud the older version of the game.
Now I can’t even stand to look at your game icon. I doubt I will ever play the game again. Months of progress gone. There should have been the ability to have multiple local saves like so many other Arcade games to avoid these kinds of bugs. Arcade wants to build user loyalty with games that draw the user back day after day but they aren’t go to do that without backup failsafes for game data. Congratulations your data loss bug has led to me decide not to renew my Arcade subscription.
Refreshing, maddening & enjoyable word game
Mon Jun 13 2022 MakasisThis is not your average word game. If you love reading and a challenge, give this a whirl. I adore reading, word and puzzle games and this has a bit of all three. It is not your average word game that you will tire of immediately and delete. I will also say, it can be maddening and addictive. I started out on the timed mode, but found it didn’t work for my current “reading mood”. I find I enjoy different reads at different times/seasons based on what else is going on in my life. It is summer and I have many irons in the fire, making it harder for me to concentrate in short bursts of time. After I changed to relaxed mode, I was completely hooked and plan to switch back when my next “reading mood” kicks in.
Switching playing modes is a real game changer, so just saying not to give up on it too soon. It may become your favorite game before you know it.
Great game for book lovers
Thu Oct 10 2019 Acrosonic55Word play using free domain literature is just the game for readers. I started with Pride and Prejudice, which I’ve read many times over the years, and despite the abridged text needed for gameplay it brought the story back to me while I was having fun playing the game and earning ink. Same for a couple of other books I’ve read and know well. Some books I haven’t read but while playing the game I found myself interested in actually reading those books. I love playing a game where you aren’t being asked to spend money on “coins” so you can progress through the game more easily or are being asked to subscribe. Using the Apple Arcade with one monthly subscription fee is a lot more economical than paying for individual games. I love working to earn ink to “buy” new books for gameplay use. And the daily challenges and the goals are just the lagniappe in a thoroughly enjoyable game!!
Amazing Game!! 📕📗📘📙
Tue Oct 29 2019 I don't know what to put heteIt’s quite fun and relaxing to play. There are over 400 chapters of books in total (in the store) with different difficulties. A chapter usually has 5-7 parts and each part is like 3 swaps (phrases) or 5 fill ins (words). Those are just 2 types of world play and there are over 20. Basically there’s just so much content with different difficulties and there’s so many types of puzzles. For sure there’s weeks opon weeks opon weeks of content. There’s also daily challenges. The fact that you have to buy new books with in-game currency instead of real money is great too. You earn ink by doing chapters and so when you finish a book can easily buy a new book. The UI is simple but beautiful. If you don’t pay attention to the books because you are doing puzzles, you can go back and reread them. 11/10 would recommend to everyone. This is by far my favorite Apple Arcade game.
Fun game but needs more goals
Mon Nov 18 2019 cdtplThis game is pretty fun. If you’re trying it to mimic the experience of reading any of these books, you’re likely to be disappointed - the game picks out snippets of the book rather than whole chapters- but if that’s your goal you could just read a book. This is a sometime challenging word game with a variety of different puzzles, and it’s an enjoyable way to spend some down time. However, the game needs more goals. At first, there are several going at a time (finish a certain number of hard chapters, get a perfect score X times, answer the daily challenge question right X times, etc). But once you’ve been playing for a while the goals stop regenerating. Where I am now, the only goal is to answer the Wednesday daily challenge question right 4 times. This would take a month to complete, and without any other milestones to meet, it’s starting to feel a little tedious.
Edited text, can be confusing
Thu Dec 26 2019 playingza1285The premise of the game is fun. Classic works of literature, many which I have read, broken up so I can piece it together. The main issue I have with it is that the text is heavily edited. I understand why this is done, as it would take ages to actually play through an unabridged book. The removal of key aspects of a book is unacceptable however. For example, in the first book Pride and Prejudice, the time that Elizabeth spends at Rosings is skipped despite it’s importance regarding the way Darcy acts with people of his own class as well as a foil for Darcy. An extra chapter or two should be added for it. This isn’t as big a problem when you have read the book for your self and already formed an understanding of the characters, but for novels that one has not read, or someone using this game as a way to read classic novels in an engaging way that is less time consuming than an actual close reading, the omissions of key chapters is a very big problem.
