Relay Words vs Verbena
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Relay Words
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Relay Words is a word-chain game built around one clear rule: make a new word that starts with the last letter of the current word. Start from the shown word, build your answer, and keep the chain going. The required start letter stays large and visible at every step so the next move always makes sense. THREE WAYS TO PLAY Classic Relay — No timer. Take your time, find strong words, and push your personal best chain as long as it will go. Timed Relay — 90 seconds on the clock. Stay sharp, answer quickly, and earn speed bonuses for words submitted within 8 seconds. Chase your timed best. Survival — Three lives. Invalid words and skips spend a life. Protect your run, recover carefully, and see how far you can go before the chain breaks. CLEAR FEEDBACK EVERY MOVE Every word either carries the chain forward or explains exactly why it didn't. No ambiguity. No guessing what went wrong. YOUR PROGRESS, YOUR DEVICE Run results save your best chains, stats track your relay style, and cosmetic rewards unlock through play. Everything stays on your device. No account required, no data leaves your phone. BUILT FOR FOCUS No ads. No purchases. No notifications. Relay Words is a game you pick up, play for a few minutes or a long session, and put down with a clear result.
Verbena
A cozy word game that blends gardening with roguelike deckbuilding. Spell words to achieve seasonal goals, collect enchanted charms to create powerful combos, and nurture your garden through the changing seasons. Enjoy a relaxed, turn-based experience with no timers or ads.
- Word spelling and garden growing
- Roguelike deckbuilding mechanics
- Collect and combine enchanted charms
- Seasonal progression with unique challenges
- Daily challenges and leaderboards
- Relaxed, turn-based gameplay
- Cozy visuals and soothing soundtrack
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Verbena — a cozy word roguelike. Spell words. Grow your garden. Chase the bloom. Verbena blends the calm of a cozy garden with the moreish "just one more run" of a roguelike deckbuilder. Draw a rack of letters, spell words to reach each season's goal, then visit the Garden Shop to collect enchanted charms — a Sunflower that adds to every word, a Dewdrop that rewards vowels, a Lucky Ladybug that multiplies your score. Stack charms into run-defining combos and see how many seasons your garden can survive. No timers. No pressure. No ads, ever. A fresh fusion — word game meets roguelike deckbuilder Collect from 17 charms (with a Charm Codex to complete) and build wild combos Special seasons add twists — gentler goals, bonus leaves, lusher words Daily Challenge — everyone gets the same letters; build your streak A garden that blooms through Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter as you climb Cozy visuals, a soothing synth soundtrack, and a relaxed turn-based pace Light & dark "night garden" themes — and it autosaves, so pick up anytime Universal — plays on iPhone and iPad Accessibility-minded: no timers, Relaxed difficulty, VoiceOver, readable-letters, reduce-motion, a Hint helper Game Center leaderboards & achievements, plus personal Records A 200,000-word dictionary Try 7 days free, then S$2.99/month — no ads, no tracking, cancel anytime Whether you have two minutes or twenty, plant a new garden and watch it bloom. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
Relay Words and Verbena are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Relay Words | Verbena |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | — | Every 2 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | — | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | William Brandon | Naizhong Xu |
In-app purchases
Relay Words
No in-app purchases
Verbena
No in-app purchases









