I’ll be the first to confess: I absolutely suck at Sudoku puzzles. Math certainly isn’t my forte. I’m more of a crossword puzzle, word find kind of gal. I also love those color-by-number apps, even if I tend to get bored after a few days of playing. So, when Oleg Sereda offered us a chance to review their Paint by Words, I was intrigued.

Not Like Other Word Games

Combining crosswords with the OG word game, Hangman, to color in cute pictures is a stroke of genius. What could be considered simplistic becomes a brain buster when those crosswords are clueless. Like Sudoku, I had to rely on contextual letter clues to figure out what each word is, in most cases.

Each picture is broken up into several puzzle areas. We are allowed to complete the puzzles in any order we choose. However, it seems that top areas of the picture are the easiest and more difficult levels as we get towards the bottom.

The developers take pity on us occasionally, if you can call it that. Some of the areas are themed. Don’t let that fool you though. The same increase in difficulty remains true in these puzzles too. If you’re up to date with pop culture, history, brands, ect… it may make them easier… maybe.

Thankfully, there is a hint button that can be used without limit while you try to figure out each word. It will give you a random letter in a random word, which may or may not ease your confusion. There is also a “easy mode” that turns the blocks green immediately if they are the correct ones, as opposed to needing the whole word to be correct first.

Feel Those Retro Vibes

I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the overall retro vibe Paint by Words has. The pictures you are working on completing have a 16-bit look to them, or if you’re of the crafty type: a cross-stitch look. It’s absolutely charming and unique compared to many of the “stain glass” style of other “coloring” games.

Needing Extra Help

The only little nitpick I have is that some of the puzzles had “words” that were almost near impossible to figure out without using the hints. For example, in the first picture’s “Countries” puzzle, there was a three-letter “country.” As there is no country with a three-letter name, and it didn’t appear that abbreviations were used, it didn’t dawn on me that the answer was “USA.” If you’re going for a no hint achievement, this could hamper your run.

It would also benefit from some of the categories being a little more specific in their themes. They are too broad and without the usual crossword clues, it adds a significant amount of difficulty to the puzzles.

Final Thoughts

Despite these few criticisms, Paint by Words is charming and fun way to keep your mind fresh. I would love to see it on mobile someday, for an on-the-go relaxing puzzle experience. If you like word puzzles and retro vibes, I definitely recommend grabbing this sweet little game.

Paint by Words was released on November 3, 2025. A review key was generously provided by Oleg Sereda through KeyMailer.