Price: $0.99 Score: 8/10 Category: Games
VideoPuzzle! by Ideateca takes a simple premise and turns it into a brilliant puzzler. Looped video images are split and mixed up and turned upside-down, and it’s up to you to put them back in order. It sounds easy, but you’ll soon find that arranging moving images is far more challenging than piecing together still puzzle pieces.
Because the difficulty level can be adjusted to a maddening level, and because users can create new puzzles by importing their own videos, VideoPuzzle is a game with a never-ending supply of content.
To get players started, there are a number of stock video puzzles from which to choose. And these aren’t simple home videos. Each puzzle provided in VideoPuzzle is professionally produced with slick imagery, which looks lovely on the iPad. From a simple steaming coffee cup to a DJ’s turntable with a dance floor backdrop, VideoPuzzle’s stock puzzles are slick and eye-catching. To sort the puzzles, you simply drag the images with your finger to their correct location and double-tap pieces to flip them.
Though the game promises more video content is on its way via update, once you’ve covered all the included puzzles, you can really have fun by importing your own videos. Any video you have stored on your iPad can be used, giving the game an endless supply of content. Additionally, if you’re using an iPhone or iPad 2, you can use live video, which can be an incredible challenge if you have a constantly changing backdrop.
The challenge of VideoPuzzle! can be adjusted by increasing the number of puzzle pieces on the screen. If you’re finding the game too easy with nine split images, simply increase the difficulty and you’ll be puzzled for hours. Fortunately, any time you get stuck, VideoPuzzle! offers a “Hint” button to help you along.
The one weak point in VideoPuzzle! is its annoyingly repetitive soundtrack; a constant loop of techno-ish music that will slowly bore a hole into your mind. A more varied soundtrack or the option import your own tunes would certainly have been appreciated, but the mute switch will have to do for now.
Bottom Line: VideoPuzzle! is a great game for those looking for a unique visual challenge.
VideoPuzzle! is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.1 or later.