I have to admit that I am a bit of a sucker for a good puzzle game.  I love games that take a matter of seconds to complete, because they are perfect for those spare seconds I might have while I wait for a meeting to begin, or while standing in line (though not at the DMV which requires a far more involved and time consuming game).  One of the most popular genres of puzzle games is the picture matching memory game.  You all know how to play.  You are faced with a board paired pictures.  These pictures are turned face down and randomly arranged.  Your job is to find the matches.  

Before we get into Pairopix and their interpretation of this genre, I should start off with two standard disclaimers.  Spinal Apps sent this one over for me to check out, and gave me a free copy of this app for me to evaluate for this review.  Pairopix is designed for the iPhone and iPod Touch.  I tested it on the iPad.  While gameplay worked fine, you will notice some unintended pixilation in the graphics.  That would be Apple’s fault, not Spinal Apps.

What sets Pairopix apart from many memory matching games are the images themselves.  In many sets, the images have only subtle differences.  Remembering which ones go where can be an excruciating exercise in frustration.  This is not your Father’s matching game. 

In addition to the standard game, you can also try the advanced game.  In this one, you are going to need to move fast, because the matches will only remain uncovered for a short time, and then they will slam shut.  Hope you remembered where that one was before you lost it.  They also will snap shut in random order, meaning you never know which one you are going to lose next.

The only problem I had with the gameplay itself was that there was no easy way to exit back to the main screen if you get stuck.  The only way to get out of a game without completing it is to hit the home button, exit the game, and then restart.

As if this is not all enough, you can even download new image sets in order to add to the variation in the game.  Or, if you want to really spice things up, you can go into the image editor and create a new set of images from the photos saved on your device.

Finally, once you complete a level, the game will record your high score, and then give you the opportunity to share your scores via Twitter or email, but strangely not Facebook.

This is a fantastic new take on a classic puzzling genre.  Not only does it include some incredibly challenging puzzles, but it also gives you the opportunity to customize the game with your own sets of images.  Hope you have your addiction hat ready, because you will not be able to put this game down.  It really is the “awesomest matching game…ever!”

Pairopix is available from Spinal Apps, and can be purchased from the iTunes App Store for $0.99.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Related posts:

1. Quick Look: The Mystery of the Crystal Portal 2: Beyond The Horizon
2. Quick Look: Astraware Solitaire
3. Quick Look: Tunnel Shoot
4. Quick Look: Police Range from Handmark
5. Quick Look: Funkyball Worlds for iPhone