Cursed Words, the Roguelike for People who Wished that Instead of Cards, Balatro had been based off the Dictionary… and Chess… and an Abacus… and the Rainbow?
Developer Buried Things and Publisher Forklift Interactive are proud to announce that their Balatro-style roguelike finally has a much anticipated Launch Date. Full of rule-breaking and addictive gameplay, it’s called Cursed Words; though as you quickly learn: the words don’t matter, it’s all about chasing that ever increasing score, with whatever you have in front of you…
It all starts quite simple: use tiles on the board to make words, aiming to score enough points each round to earn some money and keep your progress going. But as the score targets get higher and bosses with more punishing abilities begin to appear, winning will definitely require a rather creative definition of what qualifies as a “word.”
Leave letters behind as you combine chess pieces, numbers, poker hands and a plethora of wild cards to break the rules of language as the game evolves into a roguelike beyond words. Fancy a taste? Try the demo for free right now on Steam!
But of course, it’s not just the tiles that change from run to run. With 11 characters to play (some with some secret sneaky unlock conditions), each with their own unique power and tile synergy, not to mention the constantly expanding and updating shop, no two games of Cursed Words are ever alike.
The game boasts over 300 stickers and stamps with the 1.0 launch, unlocked with characters, by completing quests, or by great feats of linguistic (or cursed…) prowess. Use them in fun and frighteningly powerful combinations to build and form dominating synergies, maximizing your score to beat every boss out there. And if you’re up to it, maybe find the elusive sixth floor for the final challenge…
“Why a word game?” asked Niru Fekri-Arnold, Buried Things Co-founder. “Because we’re really smart. And we’re British, so we sound even smarter than that. But don’t worry,” he adds, “Cursed Words accepts American words too.”
“:♕♖S 4 ♙” said Forklift CEO Andrei Podoprigora, a look of smug satisfaction on his sticker and stamp covered face. It’s unknown exactly what he meant, having written this with the many cursed tiles found in Cursed Words, but the quote is worth over 1200 points.
Cursed Words’ demo is available today on Steam for PC, and the full game will launch on April 2nd, 2026.
For the latest word on Cursed Words and Forklift Interactive, check out the official website and stay up to date by following @forkliftgames and joining the official Cursed Words Discord.
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