Memovator: The Toughest Game You’ll Ever Love (or love to hate)
When it comes to the iPhone, it seems casual games have enjoyed the greatest success, and it doesn’t get any more casual than a game that almost always ends in 2 or 3 minutes. Memovator is just such a game, or at least it is for me.
Like most great games, Memovator is extremely simple to play, yet extremely difficult to master. The game puts you in the role of an elevator operator – an occupation not seen since the days of Looney Tunes cartoons. As each person enters the elevator, they will tell you which of the 20 floors they would like to get off on. The elevator makes a constant loop from floor 1 to 20 and back down again. When you hit a requested floor, just tap anywhere on the screen to stop the elevator and let the passengers out and let new ones in. Simple, right? Well, try it, and see how far you get. I’m stuck around 27 or so… without cheating, that is. (Incidentally, If you are interested in reading about a Memovator cheat that could give you a score of 200 or more, check out our sister site The iPhone Cheat Sheet).
On subsequent levels the floor numbers are replaced by Roman Numerals, symbols, and Japanese Kanji symbols on level 3, so the game is more or less impossible (unless you are Japanese) or have a photographic memory.
There are many “memory” type games out there and in general I find them all to be unimaginative “Simon” clones. Memovator, on the other hand, for some reason has grabbed me. I love the artwork, the simple gameplay mechanics, and the angry animations of the riders when you miss their floor. Given I basically have no short term memory (and not much of a long term one either), it’s a testament to Memovator’s design that I keep coming back for more punishment.
My wife always claimed she would make a great waitress because she can remember everyone’s order at the table when we eat out. She might be right, as she routinely kicks my ass on this game (although suspiciously enough she’s also the one who discovered the cheat… hmmm…).
Whether you’re looking to improve your short term memory or just want a fun game that will frustrate you 2 minutes at a time, Memovator is worth your 99¢. And if you’re still not sold, check out the free version first Memovator Lite.
