Textris

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  Gameplay

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  GTA Skin

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  Candy Crush Skin

Inspiration

Textris is a retro-inspired mobile puzzle game that flips the classic falling-block formula on its head. Instead of moving blocks as they fall, players tap tiles directly on the grid to gather words and clear space before the board overflows. With a deep level progression system, tactical shop consumables, and a nostalgic retro Tetris art style, it turns vocabulary into a high-stakes survival strategy.

What it does

Letters automatically drop into the grid. However, if 3 of the same letters land on the field, it triggers an immediate drop of another letter, forcing players to think and tap fast. Tap & Validate: Tap letters anywhere on the board to spell a word, then hit the Play Button to validate it. 3-Star Mastery System: To win a level, you must gather between 3 to 6 words. Stars are earned through skill: ⭐ 1 Star: Simply clear the level objective. ⭐⭐ 2 Stars: Spell at least one word with a length of 5 letters. ⭐⭐⭐ 3 Stars: Spell an epic word with a length of 6+ letters. Live Feedback: Every valid word rewards points and XP, instantly updated via a beautifully animated top progress bar.

How we built it

Game Engine: React Native to capture that crisp, responsive retro grid feel. Algorithmic Layouts: Developed a procedural grid generator that scales the matrix dimensions based on the randomized level difficulty. State Management: Implemented a robust word-building system that tracks active tile selections, triggers cascading gravity when words clear, and calculates real-time linguistic validation upon hitting "Play".

Challenges we ran into

The Triple-Letter Cascade: Balancing the mechanic where 3 identical letters trigger another drop was tricky. Initially, it caused infinite loops where the grid filled instantly. We had to implement a strict cooldown and letter-distribution throttle to keep it fair but frantic. Grid Scaling Logic: Designing the UI to gracefully handle varying field sizes (from tight, hard grids to massive, easy grids) while keeping the text legible and touch targets accurate on smaller mobile screens.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Delivering a complete game loop for a mobile puzzle game - including a working shop, progression system, and ad monetization - all within the Shipathon timeline. Perfecting the nostalgic, retro Tetris-like visual aesthetic. Designing a puzzle game where difficulty isn't just about speed, but about the spatial restriction of the grid itself.

What we learned

Monetization Balance: We learned how to integrate ads ethically, ensuring that rewarded ads feel like a helpful lifeline (giving items) rather than a punishment. UI/UX Clarity: Animating progress bars and selection states in real-time is crucial for player satisfaction; if the feedback loop isn't instant, the game loses its arcade magic.

What's next for Textris

Daily & Weekly Live Events: Introducing competitive community events to keep the gameplay fresh: Daily Challenges: A global race to find the single longest word of the day. The winner takes home massive coin packages and an exclusive, unique tile skin that can't be bought in the shop. Weekly Mutation Events: Every week, the core game mechanics will shift completely (e.g., gravity flips, letters falling sideways, or vowels costing double points), forcing players to adapt their strategies. Expanded Customization Vault: Designing an extensive collection of retro and thematic tile skins, particle effects, and board frames to give players more ways to flex their high scores.Deepened World & User Progression: Expanding the campaign roadmap with branching level paths, unlockable player profile badges, and competitive user levels that track long-term vocabulary mastery.

Built With

• admob
• firebase
• react-native
• revenuecat