Price: $0.99 Score: 8/10 Category: Games
A little creativity goes a long way with VideoPuzzle! by Ideateca. The basic concept is simple: chop up a video image into pieces, mix them up and flip them around, and then try to put them back together again.
Were these basic still images, the game would be absurdly simple and not worth even a child’s time. But because these are moving video images, VideoPuzzle! proves to be a challenging time-killer with a never-ending supply of content.
The game provides players with a large variety of puzzles from which to choose, becoming progressively more difficult along the way. You begin with a simple video of a steaming coffee cup. As the nine pieces of the image are scrambled, you’ll have to flip them so they’re facing the right way and lined up correctly. It sounds easy, and for a while it certainly is. However, as you move on to higher difficulty levels, the puzzles become mind-benders as you try to line up more and more pieces of constantly moving images.
Where VideoPuzzle! really earns its price tag is in its customization. If you’ve solved all the stock puzzles, you can easily create your own either using videos you’ve already saved on your iPhone, or by taking live video of your surroundings. Use the front-facing camera and try to put your face back together. It’s not as easy as you’d think! Fortunately, if you’re having difficulty solving a particular puzzle, you can simply tap the “Hint” button to have a piece put in place.
While it’s definitely a strong concept and the ability to create puzzles using your own videos is a great feature, VideoPuzzle! does have one glaring problem: its awful and repetitive soundtrack, which consists of a simple techno-ish beat looped infinitely. No, it won’t be long before you head to the Settings menu to turn off the music.
Bottom Line: Despite its extremely simple concept, VideoPuzzle! is a fun time-killer and great for flexing your mental muscles.
VideoPuzzle! is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.1 or later.