Cleariosity: A Transparent Word Search Puzzle Game

Search for words across transparent cards. Stack the cards to form the words, but be careful not to accidentally cover a letter you need!

Published by White Beetle Games, Cleariosity is designed for 2-6 players and has a 15-20 minute playtime.

Gameplay

The game consists of a deck of transparent, square cards with each card showing three letters, spread out at different locations on the cards. At the start of the game, the deck is dealt out as evenly as possible to all players to form their personal draw piles, and any leftover cards are placed in the center, face-up. At the start of each round, each player draws the top card of their draw pile and places it in the center of the table next to any cards already there from previous rounds.

Players then try to find three-letter words that can be created by laying two or three of the cards on top of each other. The letters must be in the correct order, and can spell the word horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. When a player spots a word, he shouts it out and indicates which cards he believes will form it. Those cards are then stacked and the word is checked. If for some reason the player was incorrect, that player has to sit out until another word has been found or the round is over.

If the word is correct, the player takes the cards used and puts them into his personal score pile. Players can continue to look for words in the available cards until they all give up. A new round starts with each player adding another card to the center.

After the round in which the last cards have been drawn, the game ends. The player with the most cards in his score pile wins the game.

Review

Cleariosity has a clever component at its heart. The transparent cards are fun to play with and create a fun challenge as you try to figure out how to put the letters together while avoiding covering needed letters when stacking the cards. It feels like a mix between a word scramble and a word search puzzle, with a real-time component added to spice things up.

As a family game, it can be an enjoyable learning game, but playing it as an adult group, we had a good time with it as well. I personally have never been good at word games, with three-letter words usually being all I can think of in the moment, so it was nice to play a game in the genre where simple words were literally all you could use. Meanwhile, the real-time aspect of the game ensures that it stays challenging, as you are trying to beat everyone else to those simple words.

The game is fun to look at, as the cards look quite colorful. I wasn't entirely sure why there was a dog on the box, but I'm not one to complain about additional dogs! However, it does make the game look like it's intended for a younger audience than is strictly necessary.

With relatively simple rules, Cleariosity is a nice casual word game, with an unusual component and equally satisfying rules to back it up.

Pros: Good for families and adult groups, colorful, good for players who often struggle with word games

Cons: Die-hard word game fans might find it too simplistic

Disclosure: we received a complimentary review copy of this game.