iMatryoshka Review

Matryoshka are those cute little wooden nesting dolls with beautiful painted exteriors that are a key feature of Russian folk art. iMatryoshka is a strange twist on that heritage, turning the Matryoshka into vampiric nesting dolls that eviscerate into smoke if they are flung together properly. I have a sneaking suspicion this game is based on some strange and ancient Ukrainian myth handed down and twisted over the generations. In any case, it makes for a fun and entertaining, if odd and slightly disturbing, iPhone app.

Two fingers are required to fling together matching top and bottom pieces, and matching pieces must collide together to incinerate into a puffball of smoke. Easy and Hard modes of play are available for two options: "Smooth" and "Mad" Matryoshka. As Matryoshka incinerate, more and more dolls fill the screen, increasing the level of difficulty. Scores and game options are displayed over a cutting board decorated in a traditional Russian flower engraving.

The game is so strange and odd that it compels you to play; my five year old liked it quite a bit. I say "Да" (Da- yes in Russian).