SpellTower+

2.55
Good
Price: Free
Ads: Unknown
In App Purchases: Yes

iOS App Store

Temporal Dark PatternsTemporal Dark Patterns

This game has 4 reported Temporal Dark Patterns. There are 9 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

0.24

2 votes
Infinite Treadmill -
2 / 0 votes
Impossible to win or complete the game.

1 votes
1 votes
Daily Rewards -
1 / 1 votes
Encourages return visits every day and punishes you for missing a day.

1 votes
1 votes
Advertisements -
1 / 1 votes
Forced to watch ads or given rewards for watching ads.

2 votes
Playing by Appointment -
0 / 2 votes
Being forced to play according to the game's schedule instead of yours.

1 votes
Grinding -
0 / 1 votes
Being required to perform repetitive and tedious tasks to advance.

2 votes
Can't Pause or Save -
0 / 2 votes
The game does not allow you to stop playing whenever you want.

2 votes
Wait To Play -
0 / 2 votes
In-game timers that make you arbitrarily wait for something.

Monetary Dark PatternsMonetary Dark Patterns

This game has 0 reported Monetary Dark Patterns. There are 22 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

5

2 votes
Premium Currency -
0 / 2 votes
Exchange rate between real money and in-game currency disguises the real price of items.

2 votes
Pay to Win -
0 / 2 votes
A player can spend real money to purchase something that gives them an advantage in the game.

2 votes
Artificial Scarcity -
0 / 2 votes
Limited time offers with unnecessary urgency.

2 votes
Pay to Skip -
0 / 2 votes
Spend money to avoid waiting for a timer to expire.

2 votes
Accidental Purchases -
0 / 2 votes
Making it easy to accidentally spend money with no confirmation or ability to undo or refund the action.

2 votes
Recurring Fee -
0 / 2 votes
Encourages players to play as much as possible to get their money's worth.

2 votes
Gambling / Loot Boxes -
0 / 2 votes
Spending real money to play a game of chance for a reward.

2 votes
Power Creep -
0 / 2 votes
A permanently purchased item in the game becomes less valuable over time.

2 votes
Pay Wall -
0 / 2 votes
The game becomes impossible to continue playing without payment.

2 votes
Waste Aversion -
0 / 2 votes
Capped inventory forces you to destroy items or upgrade inventory. Also, having small amounts of left over premium currency.

2 votes
Anchoring Tricks -
0 / 2 votes
Placing a cheap item next to an expensive item to make it look more affordable.

Social Dark PatternsSocial Dark Patterns

This game has 1 reported Social Dark Patterns. There are 13 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

3.81

1 votes
1 votes
Competition -
1 / 1 votes
The game makes you compete against other players.

2 votes
Social Pyramid Scheme -
0 / 2 votes
You get a bonus for inviting your friends and then they have to invite their friends.

2 votes
Social Obligation / Guilds -
0 / 2 votes
To avoid letting down your friends, you are obligated to play when you don't want to.

2 votes
Friend Spam / Impersonation -
0 / 2 votes
The game sends spam to your contact list or social media account.

2 votes
Reciprocity -
0 / 2 votes
Feeling obligated to return a favor, share resources, trade an item, etc.

2 votes
Encourages Anti-Social Behavior -
0 / 2 votes
The game incentivizes players to lie, cheat, or backstab other players to get ahead.

2 votes
Fear of Missing Out -
0 / 2 votes
If you stop playing you'll miss out on something or be left behind and unable to catch up.

Psychological Dark PatternsPsychological Dark Patterns

This game has 2 reported Psychological Dark Patterns. There are 10 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

2.44

2 votes
Badges / Endowed Progress -
2 / 0 votes
Reluctancy to abandon a partially completed goal, even one forced upon the player.

2 votes
Invested / Endowed Value -
0 / 2 votes
Having already spent time and money to improve your status in the game, it's difficult to throw it away.

2 votes
Complete the Collection -
0 / 2 votes
The urge to collect all the items, achievements or secrets in a game.

1 votes
Illusion of Control -
0 / 1 votes
The game cheats or hides information to make you think you're better than you actually are.

2 votes
Variable Rewards -
0 / 2 votes
Unpredictable or random rewards are more addictive than a predictable schedule.

2 votes
Aesthetic Manipulations -
0 / 2 votes
Trick questions or toying with emotions or our subconscious desires.

1 votes
Optimism and Frequency Biases -
0 / 1 votes
Overestimating the frequency of something because we’ve seen it recently or memorably.

App Store Ratings

iOS:  (4.50) with 24 votes.



Recent Dark Pattern Reviews

Daily Rewards reported on Jun 16, 2023
Daily puzzles you feel you don't want to miss.
Infinite Treadmill reported on Jun 16, 2023
It's possible to be stuck in a game for days, unless you purposely do something dumb in order to end it.
Advertisements reported on Sep 12, 2022
Free version has adds.
Infinite Treadmill reported on Sep 12, 2022
Puzzle mode is infinite.
Badges / Endowed Progress reported on Sep 12, 2022
Game center achievements, easily ignorable but they're there
Competition reported on Sep 12, 2022
Leaderboards


Report a Dark Pattern

Screenshot The original best-selling mobile word game, reimagined!

Pick your words wisely! As you play, more tiles rise from the bottom of the screen! It'll take all of your lexicological wits, and tactical know-how to keep your columns down. If any letters make it to the top row, it's game over.

Classic modes Daily Tower, Tower, Puzzle, Rush and Zen are all back and packed with brand new BONUS TILES that double (or more!) word values.

Joining them is the brand new Search mode, plus ExPuzzle, Double Puzzle, Bubble Puzzle, and Blitz mode!

That’s eleven modes in all!

Plus iCloud Backup, Highscores reported for games even while in-progress, detailed statistics for every mode, Game Center leaderboards, and achievements.

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It’s pretty wild to be revisiting my first hit game, SpellTower. I can't believe it's almost 10 years since it released. The first iPhones it ran on had a 3.5 inch screen and 320 x 480 resolution! I literally did a double-take at that resolution when I looked it up.

A funny part about having a hit game is people talk to you about it. With SpellTower I heard about grandmas playing the game every morning to keep their minds sharp, parents playing it with their kids, expectant mothers playing it to get through morning sickness, and countless sitings of strangers playing it on subways, planes — even elevators.

I got into games because I wanted to connect with people in a positive way. I wanted to help people think critically and come away with more than they arrived with. Games felt like a way to do this on a huge scale, but the stories I heard from SpellTower players taught me that games do so much more for people than I ever expected.

I’m deeply grateful that SpellTower has been able to be something special for so many people, and I think that’s why so many people have shared it with friends, loved ones, and strangers on elevators.

Even though SpellTower is a game I made, it’s really barely mine anymore. The experiences and love I had for the game has been outstripped by its audiences a thousandfold. I thought a lot about all the experiences that people have had with the game when I was designing this new version. I hope it gives everyone who’s loved the game a reason to pick it back up again plus share it further amongst their friends, family, and audiences.

-zach