Category Archives: matching

Monster Memory Match for iPad

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Monster Memory Match for iPad is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

“Monster Memory Match for iPad” is a matching game that uses a combination of monster drawings and sight words to make this app both fun and educational. This app begins with the screen full of cards. Tap to flip each card over and try to remember what monster or word is on the other side, in the interest of making pairs.

I am really pleased with the educational nature of this app. Half the cards to be turned over contain sight words, being some of the most commonly used words in the English language that most school children are expected to learn. The other half are fun monsters to keep the game light and entertaining.

Read the entire review on Giggle Apps!

[ Monster Memory Match for iPad is a post from 148Apps ]


Bitflip HD for iPad Review

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Bitflip HD for iPad Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: METAMOOREPHOSIS
Price: .99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.1
Device Reviewed On: iPad

Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Bitflip HD is an intriguing retooling of the match three game, breathing new life into a stale genre. The gameplay is well-designed, the music and sound effects contribute to the overall impact of the game, and the price of $.99 is just right. The only thing unfortunate about Bitflip HD is its annoying tendency to randomly crash or simply never complete its loading cycle. If the developers can correct these issues, they will have created one of the better puzzle games on the iPad.

Given their ubiquity, there seems little need to review the basic mechanics of a match three game. However, Bitflip HD mixes this up a bit by incorporating several new mechanics. The first is the “poptab,” an on-screen device that looks like, well, a pull tab from a Diet Coke. The Poptab has two two holes and can be moved to any position on the board and to any horizontal or vertical orientation. This mechanic subverts the typical match three device of “click two items to watch them switch places.” Here, the Poptab must be used to switch items on the grid, so two items are changed simultaneously, plus it can be flipped over, which also changes gameplay substantially. Each piece in Bitflip HD has two sides and a different color and/or pattern on each side. Both colors and patterns must match before they can be cleared from the board. It’s nothing truly revolutionary, but it’s enough of a variation to make Bitflip HD more interesting than the typical match three.

There are a variety of game variants included with Bitflip HD including “Pop,” where points are awarded based on the number of matches made in a pre-set time, and “Drop,” where disks continue to fall on top of other disks while you clear the screen – sort of Tetris meets Bejeweled. There are also a number of themes ready to go in the game, so you don’t have to settle for the initial basic look.

Taken as a whole, Bitflip HD is a solid puzzler that only suffers due to some annoying and random crashing issues. If the developer can fix these issues, it will be easy to recommend Bitflip HD to anyone who loves a good puzzle game.


[ Bitflip HD for iPad Review is a post from 148Apps ]


Paradise Quest HD Review

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Paradise Quest HD Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: I-PLAY
Price: $2.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.0
Device Reviewed On: iPad

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.88 out of 5 stars

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to review match three games, as they have become so plentiful on iPhones and iPads. Still, Paradise Quest HD manages to maintain some originality in the face of so much sameness, and that has to count for quite a lot. It’s a good game for adults, but there are many features that make this an even better game for kids.

I’ve never imagined that match three games could be even in the least bit educational, but Paradise Quest has some educational elements that add to the atmosphere of the game without, fortunately, standing in the way of the play mechanics. The premise of Paradise Quest HD is that you are an explorer/scientist (the two get a bit confused along the way) attempting to revitalize a failing rainforest ecosystem. Matching three in this case allows you to gather precious resources (water, food sources, trees, etc) that you can then use/spend to rebuild the suffering landscape. I give the developers points for making the game eco-friendly; as the ecosystem is improved players are notified of life forms that have returned to the rainforest. These are then catalogued in a scrapbook along with achievements you’ve unlocked, leaderboards and other relevant discoveries. The animal pictures are nice, but it would have been a good idea to provide some information about the animal as well. If you’re going to have an educational element in a game, you might as well go all the way with it.

The designers also include a few variations on the classic match three formula. The main one is that you cannot see the entire board at one time. Each time you make a match, the board shifts subtly in the direction of that match. This, along with attempting to gather specific resources on the board, causes shifts in strategy in terms of which items to match. It’s not a major innovation, but it’s a welcome change.

Visually, the game is extremely colorful and is really delightful to view. Sound is equally impressive, with tribal beats underscoring most of the game’s action. The only significant downsides in the game are the loading times and the match three controls. It seems as though every change in the game is accompanied by a lengthy (by iPad standards at least) loading screen. Once or twice is fine, I suppose, but after several of these they really grow tiresome. Shifting items to make matches also doesn’t feel as elegant as the rest of the game. It works, so from a utilitarian perspective it’s not a huge issue, but moving pieces on the board does not have the usual snap and polish that I usually associate with this sort of game. There’s a slight lag when moving pieces that serves to disconnect the player from the game, and it’s an issue worth addressing in future updates.

Taken as a whole, Paradise Quest HD is a clever, lengthy game, certainly worth $2.99, that seems best suited to children. Even adults will enjoy saving the rainforest, though.

[ Paradise Quest HD Review is a post from 148Apps ]