Create a tranquil symphony and matched triangles with Quarta
When you’re looking at digital board games, you want something that takes full advantage of the various capabilities of your iPhone or iPad. After all, if all you wanted to play was a simple board game without any sound, there are plenty of traditional choices to pick from. But what really makes a digital board game stand out is one that mixes sight, sound, and challenge. Quarta does this, and more, in a game that is simple to play but difficult to master.
Matching quartas
The idea behind the game is to match quartas, which in this game are the four colored triangles making up a square. Each triangle is either blue, green, orange, or gray, and you are tasked with matching them up. Gray quartas can become any color.
You have an opponent, though, either computer-simulated or real life, who is trying to do the same thing. Whichever player has the lead in two of the three colors when the quartas fill a five square by five square area is declared the winner. Two player gaming is easy to accomplish in Quarta, even on the small screen of the iPhone, because the game is turn-based.
Generative music
What is truly unique about Quarta is that as you play the game, the musical background increases in complexity. Each matched quarta adds to the background music. Therefore, as you build up your playing area, you are also creating a digital, tranquil symphony within the game. It’s a great concept, and I enjoyed listening to the music expand. It was both challenging to the mind and relaxing at the same time, the perfect form of gaming to me.
Final word
Quarta is definitely a fun game to play, and it is nice to see a game that does the digital board right, using both sight and sound. Two player gaming is simple and intuitive in Quarta, and the graphics are nicely done.
Quarta is designed for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, and requires iOS 8 or later. The game costs $1.99 on the App Store, with no ads or in-app purchases to surprise you.
