Review: Match Fish

Sometimes appearances can be deceiving, which is the case when it comes to Match Fish for the IPhone. At first glance, this may look like an easy puzzle game that requires little to no skill whatsoever. The easy to understand controls, calming background music, and simple concept are all a decoy. Eventually the frustration will sink in, and you will realize that this is one of the most challenging downloadable titles ever made.

Developer/Publisher:IFun4All
Genre: Puzzle
Platform: IPhone
If you like: To drive yourself insane, being underwater, and match colors of fish together at the same time.

Here’s the deal, a grid is on the right side of the screen, and different colored fish are on the left. Move them onto the grid, match four or more of the same color together, tap the screen to make them disappear and earn points, get enough points to advance to the next level, and thats about it. You can move the fish by tilting the screen up and down, or by touching the screen and dragging each one individually to a certain row. The way that worked the best for me, especially in the more tense situations, was to combine the control schemes together. This made it very simple to micromanage each and every action onscreen. It’s an accessible setup that makes the game easy enough for anyone to be able to pick up and play.

Everything else on tap here is pretty standard for a budget title. Backgrounds look like the inside of a fish tank, and the fish themselves are well animated, nothing special, but not too bad. A lighthearted musical score gives off a sort of saturday morning cartoon vibe, which is okay for me because being reminded of what it’s like to be a kid is something that I don’t get to do to much anymore. What can I say about the sound effects other than the bubble noises sound like they should (sounds stupid, but it’s all i could think of).



There are two modes of play, each with three different difficulty settings, easy, medium, and hard. Play is kind of like a survival mode, choose the desired difficulty level, and try to get as many points as possible without dying. The second mode, entitled challenges, is composed of 24 different levels, each one harder than the next, with a specific amount of points that need to be acquired in order to complete them. One is more suited for casual players, while the other offers a level of depth that more experienced gamers can appreciate.

Like I said before, the game can get pretty frustrating, especially in the later levels of challenge mode. While playing Match Fish, be sure to keep an eye on the missed meter, because if it runs down to zero, you will have to start the level all over again. The best way to avoid this is by making sure you don’t let the rows fill up too quickly, luckily, there are a few powerups that can help out with this problem. Some of these will clear out an area, flip the fish around to provide a better chance to get matches, add more misses to the missed meter, and so on. Heed my words here people, use them as much as possible, because quick reflexes will not always be the most reliable solution.

IFun4All knows how to add replay value to their games, and Match Fish is no exception. Each of the games 24 levels has three sets of medals that can unlocked by getting a high score. By obtaining the highest medal in each stage, a piece of a jigsaw puzzle will start to come apart, giving the player some incentive to keep on playing. I’m only about halfway done with all of them, and I’m already at around 6 hours of gameplay time.



Match Fish is a solid puzzler that anyone can enjoy. There is enough on offer here for causal and hardcore gamers alike. If you’re looking for some fun and easy on the go, this is just what the doctor, or scubadiver in this case, ordered. (B)

 - Matt H.