My Favorite Mobile App

PiC-a-Pix Review

A mobile app I chose to review is “PiC-a-PiX”. This is a puzzle game for mobile devices and was made by Conceptis Ltd. in Haifa Israel. The game is available for mobile devices from Apple App Store, Google Play, and Amazon (Fire). Conceptis also sells about 16 other types of puzzle games that all have a similar simplicity of use. (The puzzles range in difficulty and are not always simple to solve.)

The Web App Version

PiC-a-PiX is also available to play on the web at https://www.conceptispuzzles.com/index.aspx?uri=myconceptis/channel/pap

The web app version is playable, though less user friendly than the mobile app version. The puzzle size seems smaller, and the mouse control seems awkward. But it is still a worthwhile place to try the game before committing it to your mobile device.

PiC-a-PiX vs. Other Types of Games

 I use it mostly on my iPad but also have it on my iPhone. It is my favorite game when I want to relax. There is a different game I used to play that was very complicated and competitive and busy. I had to play for over an hour each day because the demanding team I joined required me to be active and do my share of fighting and getting points for the team or face being ejected from the team. Now that I am going to school while working full time, I had to quit the team and quit the game. I mention that to contrast with PiC-a-PiX, with no competitors, no complications, and no noisy confusion. I can just relax and play at my own pace where I can stop playing anytime, even in the middle of solving the picture puzzle, and continue the puzzle later. Nice.

PiC-a-PiX Management

Below is an image of the game on the opening screen. The game is free with some free puzzle packs but you are expected to buy puzzle packs for a modest price. I have ended up spending over $50 over the years on puzzle packs, then decided to reset all my puzzles and solve them all over again. It is just as fun the second time around since I don’t remember the solutions from before and I didn’t have to pay for these again. I did not do this because I bought all the puzzle packs available. They have more puzzle packs than I have time to buy or solve.

PiC-a-PiX Game Play

The object of the game is to create a (specific) simple picture with colored blocks using the numbers as clues. See the image below of a partially completed picture puzzle. There is only one solution. The colored numbers indicate how many blocks of each color are on each specific row or column, and the sequence of the colors. For example, the first column must have three black blocks below one yellow block. There are two empty spaces in that column now where the yellow block might go, but which one? I will have to solve other columns or rows first I think before I can figure out column one. Oh wait, now that I look at it, the yellow block will need to go immediately adjacent to the three black blocks because the four yellow blocks for row three will need to be more to the right. Sorry, I probably confused you. But you learn to recognize solutions when you play enough.

PiC-a-PiX Imperfections

I find this app to be easily usable for me. However, there are a couple of usability issues that could be improved.

One is that when I try to have a friend or my wife play it for the first time, I find that there is a learning curve. They do figure out how to play with my help within five minutes, and there are instructions in the game if you don’t mind reading a few paragraphs (which most people would rather not read paragraphs). I think they should include a simple video of a tutorial showing how to solve an easy puzzle with audio instructions.

Another usability issue, especially on the larger puzzles, is I end up manually counting how many blank spaces are left in a row (or column) to see how the required number of remaining blocks might fit. Earlier, they had a feature that would show the number of blank spaces left if you tap outside the edge of a row or column. That feature is gone now and I miss it.

Another thing I could complain about trying to find a puzzle pack that I was working on. If I go into another puzzle pack or do the weekly free new puzzle, then want to return to the previous puzzle pack I want to complete, I have trouble finding it. They have hundreds of puzzle packs if you include the ones that you have not purchased yet. That is a lot to scroll through. I think they should have better ways to sort or filter the list so I can search (for example) for the uncompleted but purchased puzzle packs.

Conclusion

I think that other than the complaints above, I am happy with PiC-a-PiX, and approve of the design and functionality. As I implied before, the design makes it feel simple to navigate and is not too busy or distracting with noises or flashing. It functions without flaws, except with the largest puzzles (with smaller squares to fit) you will sometimes hit the wrong square with your fat finger.