5 Seconds! is a fun and challenging word game for Windows 10 Mobile, in which you must watch a short video and then build words from a group of scrambled letters.
For example, you may see a video highlighting a dinner. The possible words could be what is on the plates, in the background or in the actions of the actors.
5 Seconds! has 31 chapters of puzzles, each with multiple videos to challenge your skills at observation and spelling. This free Windows 10 Mobile game is a lot of fun, and while a picture can be worth 1,000 words, 5 Seconds! proves it is often hard to find just six of them in a video.
The primary menu for 5 Seconds! is designed with a minimalist feel. You can jump into gameplay, mute the sound, select the language support and switch between a light and dark theme. Puzzles are scattered across 31 chapters, each with multiple puzzles to solve. Each of the chapters is progressively unlocked as you complete the previous chapter, as is the individual puzzles within each chapter.
Each puzzle has six words that must be identified based on what you view in the five-second video clip. The video loops constantly with the option to pause the playback and view it full-screen when you rotate your Windows 10 Mobile phone horizontally. A collection of letters fills the bottom half of the game screen, and they are used to build your words.
Letters include double and triple groupings of letters — FE, RI, and END, for example. Simply tap on the letters to begin building a word. As you build words, the letter collection is repopulated so you can tackle the next word. To help add to the difficulty of these puzzles, the letters can only create one of the six words at a time. You may have many ideas on words the video illustrates, but finding the right word can be challenging.
Should you hit a brick wall and draw a complete blank, 5 Seconds! has a help section (the question mark in the center of the game display), with a few options to get back into the game. You can shuffle the letters to offer a fresh perspective on things, reveal one word, reveal one letter group or skip the video completely. The shuffle option is free, but the other help options require coins that are earned as you identify words.
5 Seconds! is a challenging and fun word game for Windows 10 Mobile. The concept of a word-association game based on videos offers a good test of your skills at observation, and it's easier to miss the finer details in a moving picture than a still image. It was surprisingly difficult to identify the last few words of each puzzle. Just keep in mind when you skip a puzzle and restart a chapter, 5 Seconds! takes you to the first incomplete puzzle. If you have already spent coins on skipping a puzzle, you must fork over more to skip it again. I would have liked to have seen those skips be permanent.
Good
3.5/5
5 Seconds! is a free game, available for Windows 10 Mobile. It's a good way to pass the time and an entertaining addition to the Windows 10 word game genre.