iPieces from Jumbo are a new range of games that join traditional tabletop games with iPad game apps. In a nutshell, the iPad becomes the game board and game pieces are placed on the iPad. The game app displays the board but being an app, can bring animation and other effects to the game. Sheer genius.
There are four games which can be download from the Apple AppStore; Snakes & Ladders, Fishing Game (Magnetic Fish), Game of Goose and Air Hockey. I didn’t recognise Game of Goose, but it’s a traditional Dutch game: Jumbo is a Dutch company.
The iPieces themselves are sold in small packs, with different iPieces for each game – the picture below shows the pre-production packaging. Each iPiece pack is £9.99.
Here are the game pieces, the iPieces themselves. On the left are two fishing rods for Fishing Game, in the middle the pucks for Air Hockey and on the right, two “men” and a ladder from Snakes and Ladders. As with any game, the number of players varies. The Game of Goose has six players, but Air Hockey only two.
If you are worried about the iPieces scratching the iPad screen, there are felt pads on the bottom of the iPieces which I imagine would be good enough for occasional use. Hardcore Air Hockey players might want to invest in a screen protector.
The game boards are brilliantly reproduced by the apps and unlike the original board games, these can have animations and sound. I’ll be reviewing each app in more detail in a future post.
New iPieces games are coming soon, including Peppa Pig, Fireman Sam, Ludo, Pool and Stratego.
If you want to learn more, listen to my interview with Catherine from Jumbo.
Podcast (specmedia): Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Email | RSS