If you’ve ever played a mahjong mobile game or flicked through a Where’s Waldo? book, you’ll know how addictive it is to stare at a screen or scene in search of matching details.
Match Two Rivals, from developer Proper Job Games, takes this basic premise and supercharges it with competitive multiplayer gameplay against the clock. Not only do you get to match stuff, but you get to win cash too.
The gameplay concept is simple. You’ve got a well full of various different objects in a big messy random jumble, including clocks, donuts, cakes, sad smileys, happy smileys, wine glasses, fire trucks, chairs, coathangers, and hundreds of other items. The possible combinations are endless.
For every object, there’s a duplicate somewhere in the mix, and you need to find that duplicate and tap it to make the pair vanish.
It’s harder than it sounds, partly because there are so many overlapping items on the screen, and partly because these objects can often look similar without being identical. A red chest of drawers looks a lot like a fire truck when you’re panicking.
And panic you will, because while you’re trying to clear your screen an unseen opponent is working on an identical screen somewhere else in the world. You’re racing against the clock and each other, and the winner gets a real cash prize via the Skillz multiplayer platform, which hosts leaderboards, tournaments, leagues, trophies, and loyalty rewards.
To help you reach the finish line are various boosts, including an instant object-finder and a power-up that freezes time. If you manage to clear your screen within the time limit you’ll get a time bonus, and you can increase your score by keeping your streak going.
It’s a tough challenge, but Match Two Rivals keeps things fair by matching you with opponents at your level. And if you don’t feel like playing for cash – or you live in a state where cash games aren’t supported – you can play for virtual currency.
Match Two Rivals is free to download and play, so head to the App Store to give it a go. The game’s official site is here too.