Poorly designed, MemoPics memory game is still fun, unique
MemoPics is a free game for iPhone and iPad that gets inspiration from the classic memory match games in which you keep flipping over cards until you find all the matching pairs and eliminate the cards. That version of the game is built in to MemoPics as well, but the novelty here comes with game modes that have you match composer's faces to sounds or even create your own custom game using your photos.
Yes, I know no one is supposed to judge a book by its cover, or in this case an app by its icon, but forgive me because I'm doing it anyway. The icon leaves much to be desired, as it's just "Picture Memory" written over and over again like some sort of annoying watermark. Alas, the icon does a good job representing the entire design of the game. Upon first opening, MemoPics greets you with an undesirable amount of instructions for game that should be so simple. Plus the text is so small and arranged in such a way that it looks like a PDF file.
These mediocre design choices carry throughout the app. Fortunately, this isn't a graphically intensive game like Infinity Blade in which the design directly influences gameplay - we're just talking memory match.
MemoPics comes preloaded with six different game packs: A Visit to the Zoo, Alphabet, Beautiful Flowers, Crazy Comics, Famous Landmarks and Great Composers. Each game comes with its own playing mode. For instance, A Visit to the Zoo and Alphabet both play like the memory match you're familiar with: tap a tile, find its matching tile, gain a point and eliminate the pair.
Famous Landmarks and Great Composers, however, are in a somewhat different league. In Famous Landmarks, half of the tiles are automatically flipped over and displaying a particular location on the map. The other half of the tiles hide photos from those locations and it's your job to match the scenic picture to the location from which it originated. Great Composers use a similar technique except audio plays in the background when you flip over a card and you have to match the sound to the correct composer.
The highlight of MemoPics is a feature that allows anyone to build a new game from scratch. It lets you customize everything from the splash screen to the game tile sizes to the images themselves to even the sounds and loops. The number of possibilities is stellar. Of course, some of the more advanced features do require an in-app purchase like Twin mode for associating two different photos or sounds.
Other in-app purchases are found in the Extras section. Some additional categories are available for a free download, but the Pro extension is US4.99 to unlock the full set of features like multiplayer mode and more customization options.
The amount of features MemoPics packs into the app is simply bar none, but the huge trade-off is the poor design. I found myself getting lost within the app being that it's not very intuitive to navigate, plus in terms of aesthetics it's just downright ugly. MemoPics is a fun twist on memory matching suitable for all ages, but you definitely have to get past the poor design to enjoy it. It's free and available in the App Store.
