Matching Pairs: the gang's clay picture cards

About Matching Pairs

At Challenge Square, Nino has laid the Backyard Town gang's cards face down, and the challenge is the matching game everyone knows: flip two cards at a time. If they match, the pair stays face up; if they don't, both flip back over, and you have to remember where each picture was. There are 20 clay pictures: Lia, Teo, Duda, Iara and Nino, Granny Quelonia, Scribble, the Grayling, the Magic Crayon, the farm animals, the birthday cake, the cupcake, the toolbox and the toy car. When you play solo, every two cards you flip count as one turn: the fewer turns you take, the more stars you get, and your points go to the site TOP 5. Against the gang, you pick your opponent: Scribble keeps only a few cards in mind and forgets them fast, Nino remembers the last few cards flipped, and Granny Quelonia remembers almost everything, but she forgets too and sometimes mixes cards up. Nobody peeks at a face-down card: your opponent only knows what they've seen flipped. Whoever finds a pair goes again, and whoever finds the most pairs wins. With a friend, each of you picks a character from the gang and you take turns on the same device. There are three sizes: 10, 15 or 20 pairs.

In Selminha's words

“The matching game is one of the first games we learn, with cardboard cards spread out on the living room floor. I wanted ours with the Backyard Town gang on the cards and across the table, with opponents who remember and forget just like real people.”

How to play Matching Pairs

1. Tap or click a card to flip it, then flip another one. If they match, the pair stays face up; if they don't, they stay in view for a moment and flip back over.
2. Solo: find all the pairs in as few turns as you can; every two cards you flip count as one turn. With 10 pairs, up to 18 turns earns 3 stars, up to 25 earns 2 and up to 35 earns 1.
3. Against the gang or with a friend: whoever finds a pair goes again, and a miss passes the turn. Whoever finds the most pairs wins; with 10 or 20 pairs, the game can also end in a tie.
4. On your opponent's turn, they think it over in their frame and flip the cards slowly, where everyone can see. They only remember what they've seen flipped, just like you.
5. On a computer, the arrow keys or W A S D move between the cards and Enter or Space flips a card; on a controller, the D-pad and A. On a phone or tablet, pinch with two fingers to zoom in on the table.

Modes and sizes

Solo

Find all the pairs in as few turns as you can. Scribble cheers you on, and your points go to the site TOP 5.

Against the gang

Pick Scribble (easy), Nino (medium) or Granny Quelonia (hard). Whoever finds a pair goes again, and whoever finds the most pairs wins.

Two players

Each of you picks a character from the gang, and you take turns on the same device.

Three sizes

10 pairs (20 cards), 15 pairs (30 cards) or 20 pairs (40 cards). After a 2- or 3-star round, the NEXT button takes you to the next size up.

Each opponent's memory

Scribble (easy)

The crayon puppy keeps only a few cards in mind and forgets them fast; sometimes he flips the card next to the one he meant.

Nino (medium)

He remembers the last few cards flipped, but an older memory sometimes slips.

Granny Quelonia (hard)

She remembers almost everything she's seen and takes a long time to forget, but she forgets too and sometimes mixes cards up.

No peeking

Nobody sees a face-down card: your opponent only knows what they've seen flipped, their cards and yours.

Controls on phone and computer

Computer

Tap or click a card to flip it · arrow keys or W A S D move between the cards · Enter or Space flips a card · P or Esc pauses · M sound · F full screen · controller: D-pad, A flips, Start pauses, Back sound · pinch with two fingers to zoom in on the table.

Touch

Phone held upright, in full screen; on a tablet, the game follows the way you're holding it; on a computer, it's landscape. The cards are as big as the screen allows, and you can pinch with two fingers to zoom in on the table. The game remembers the mode, the opponent and the size you picked.

Stars and points

Turns

In solo play, every two cards you flip count as one turn, match or no match.

Stars

With 10 pairs, up to 18 turns earns 3 stars, up to 25 earns 2 and up to 35 earns 1. With 15 pairs, the limits are 27, 37 and 52; with 20 pairs, 36, 50 and 70.

Points

100 per pair, plus 40 for each turn under 3 turns per pair, plus 3 for each second under 9 seconds per pair. The clock stops when you pause.

Leaderboard

Your solo points go to the site TOP 5. Against the gang and with a friend, whoever finds the most pairs wins.