Wordle clones are missing what makes the original great: its unifying power

destructoid.com:

Wordle was one of those things that kind of snuck up on me. I heard whispers of it on social media, but didn’t actually give it a try until a few days after we actually covered it on the site. I love word games though, so once I finally decided to jump in, I was hooked. It’s such a fun concept to me, having the puzzle reset with everyone doing the same word.

For one thing, I know for a fact that it wouldn’t be as fun for me if I had access to a ton of different levels. I’ve done this with plenty of other word games I love — I would play through a ton of levels, and then never touch it again. Only having access to one a day makes me pace myself in a way that I really appreciate. I always appreciate a new spin on the word game genre, and Wordle manages to feel simple and streamlined while also providing an engaging challenge.

Naturally, after the game found success, there have been a ton of copycats that have cropped up online or on the App Store. Some actually put a fun twist on the Wordle formula, like Absurdle, the version that “fights back” as you play, or Sweardle, which, you guessed it, has you guess a swear word every day instead. There are plenty of other knockoffs, though, that all go for the trappings of terrible mobile games that we’re used to: putting ads everywhere, or charging you for other mechanics like lives or hints.

It’s obviously pretty cool of the creator of Wordle to not add any cheap ploys for monetization (apparently he created it for him and his partner to play together because she loves word games, awww), and his decision to do so is one of the reasons the game has been successful. However, there’s another reason why very few of the Wordle clones will survive, and beautifully laid out by Alex