Bananagrams (video game) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bananagrams |
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|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Large Animal Games |
| Publisher(s) | Majesco Entertainment |
| Engine | Large Animal Toga Framework |
| Platform(s) | Flash |
| Release date(s) | Facebook: November 17, 2008 Bebo: December 4, 2008 Myspace: 2008 |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Single player / Multiplayer |
Bananagrams is a fun online social game. It was created by Large Animal Games with Majesco Entertainment. The game first launched on Facebook on November 17, 2008. It was inspired by the popular Bananagrams tile game. Later, Bananagrams also became available on Bebo and MySpace.
This game became very popular! In 2009, industry experts called it one of the top ten "addicting games" on Facebook. Bebo also gave Bananagrams an honorable mention in their app competition. The Facebook version of the game was eventually retired in 2013.
How to Play Bananagrams
The online Bananagrams game works much like the board game version. Players get letter tiles. Your goal is to use these tiles to create a crossword-style grid of words. All your words must connect to each other.
If you have trouble using a tile, you can "dump" it. This means you put that tile back into the main pile, called the "bunch." But then you have to take three new tiles.
Sometimes, if you've used all your current tiles, you can "peel." This means you take just one new letter tile from the bunch.
When you use all your tiles, you shout "Bananas!" If all the words you made are real words, you win the game! If some words are not allowed, you get "Rotten Bananas" and are out of the game. For example, names of people or places (proper nouns) are not allowed. Foreign words are also not allowed. If you play alone and use a forbidden word, you get a time penalty.
The game has different ways to play. These include Solitaire (for short or long games), Banana Café, Live Games, and Challenges.
Special Charms
The online version of Bananagrams has special "Charms." These are like helpful power-ups. They change the traditional game rules a little bit. Charms add more variety and fun to the online game. If you want to play by the original rules, you can turn off charms when you start a multiplayer game.
Some of the Charms include:
- Word Check: This charm makes sure all your words are real before you declare "Bananas."
- Smart Dump and Smart Peel: These charms automatically place dumped or peeled tiles for you. They help you form a word if there's a good spot for it.
- Mini Dump: With this charm, you only dump one tile instead of three.
How the Game Works Online
All versions of Bananagrams online are very similar. They work on different social networks because they use something called the "TOGA framework" from Large Animal Games. This special technology lets players compete against each other even if they are on different social networks. For example, a player on Facebook could play against a friend on MySpace!
The high score board shows a small icon next to each player's name. This icon tells you which social network they are using. You can even add friends who are on different networks.
Some features might work a little differently on each network. This is because of how each network's API (a set of rules for how software talks to each other) is set up. For instance, inviting friends on MySpace might be different from inviting friends on Facebook.
