I Turned My iOS Memory Game Into a Physical Board for Shipaton
I took Adversary off-screen, turning its core mechanic into a physical prototype as the next step in my Build in Public journey.
Adversary is a memory matching game with a twist: hidden among the matching pairs is a Danger card that can disrupt the round. Adversary creator found that sharing the decision-making process behind the game was more interesting than simply presenting the finished product. In his first article, he questioned whether adding a single Danger card could make the familiar memory game more intriguing.
After testing the idea, he moved on to the visual identity of the game. However, in his latest experiment, he decided to take the core of Adversary out of the iPhone and turn it into a physical board. This was done to make the development process more visible and to experiment with different ways to showcase the game's concept.
The physical board allowed players to see a set of cards and understand that most of them have matches, with one card being different. This tangible representation helped test the core idea of the game. The board was constructed using foam, Velcro, and arts and crafts, with several iterations and adjustments made along the way to ensure the cards stayed attached and the interaction worked smoothly.
The most important aspect of the physical version was preserving the game's structure, with all cards having matching partners except for the Danger card. The physical board emphasized the game's simplicity and focused on the core mechanic, making the uncertainty of revealing the Danger card the central focus.
The three experiments that led to the creation of the physical board shared a common progression: from the mechanics of the game, to its visual identity, and finally to making the idea tangible through a physical representation. The physical board did not replace the app or signify a new product direction; instead, it was another Build in Public experiment that showcased the same game in a different way.
The underlying idea remained the same: a familiar memory game with a single, unknown card, creating an element of uncertainty and intrigue.
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