While I don't need to tell you there's an
app for just about everything, I can't quite remember the last puzzle
game I played that tried to evoke love. Yoshi's Cookie makes me hungry, and I'm sure someone has been truly touched by Puzzle Quest, but Q?pid plays out a bit differently. You know those awkward moments at parties,
bars, and other social situations where you're forced to "break the
ice?" You could show them how fast you can chug a beer or show off some awkward family pictures, but Q?pid has something else in mind: getting your fingers all tangled up with those of a total stranger. Q?pid (developed by Q? Entertainment, get it?) isn't your average iPhone app. In fact, it's not much of a
standard game at all -- it's a distinctly two-person puzzler that's
lets you skip past the "hi's" and "hellos" and gets right down to the
handholding. Each of the five levels in Q?pid corresponds to a stage of
the relationship process that starts out with with your "First Meeting"
and culminates in the two of you becoming "Partners 4 Life." While most
icebreakers focus on sparking a conversation, Q?Pid is a touchy tracing
game that takes a few tries to get right. The multi-touch interface,
which calls for 2-4 fingers depending on the puzzle, requires you to
move little arrows to the opposite side of their track and hold them
there for multiple seconds. As you might expect, it's a bit cramped
with two pairs of hands vying for 3.5" of screen. As savvy drunkards
might have guessed, Q?pid's real genius is getting two strangers to
twist around one another within minutes of meeting. With so little
screen real estate, you've really gotta "get your hands in there" to
progress; and depending on your state of mind, you could very well end
up in someone else's lap trying to cajole your arrow into a corner.
Since many of the backgrounds are cutesy
pictures of Japanese couples in love (with accompanying shots of ther
everyday life), Q?pid will appeal to certain gamers and probably scare
away many others looking for a solid, interactive two-player puzzle
game. Assuming Q? makes good on their promise to turn this into a
series, I look forward to seeing how the game is expanded upon. While
the timed mode is a fun challenge, a single player mode is the obvious
first step in the right direction; as the later levels prove to be a
bit too much for two hands alone. But if you are silly enough
to play it by yourself (like me!), you'll find an oddball puzzler
that's perfect for contortionists and finger-twisters alike. Just don't
come running back to me if you end up breaking something.
The Verdict:
Will Q?pid help you find the person of your dreams? I
see how it could. Q?pid works as both a two-person interactive puzzle
game and as an ice breaker, and if you find someone who'll become your
life partner, you very well might have something special on your hands.
Is it worth $1.99? Only if you've got someone
else (or some place) in mind to use it with. Q?pid would be a lot more
casual fun if there was a single-player mode to go along with it, but
as it stands, it's too much for most to play by themselves. With
friends, however, it's a fun and interactive way to kill time after you
play around with the editor and make it your own.
This Game Could Get You a Girlfriend
Q?pid: a two-person interactive puzzle game and an ice breaker.
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January 24, 2010
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