EmojiHunt, a match three Windows Phone game full of smiles

EmojiHunt is a match-three styled game for Windows Phone that, as you would guess, calls on you to find matches of three or more of the same styled emoji.

The game has forty-eight levels of play, each requiring you to hunt down particular sets of emoji before time runs out. While the game premise sounds easy, you might be surprised how hard it is to identify matching emoji.

Available for 512MB devices, EmojiHunt is a colorful, challenging match-three styled game that isn't a bad time waster.

Simple layout, challenging game play

The main menu for EmojiHunt is brief with options to play the game, send feedback to the developer and remove the ads through a $.99 in-app purchase. You can also mute the sounds and music as well.

Game play is spread across forty-eight levels that are progressively unlocked. Each level will require you to create matches to remove a particular number of an emoji or other character from the board. You'll need to meet this quota before the timer strikes zero.

Matches are created in your traditional match-three fashion by swapping adjacent emoji styles or other characters to create a grouping of three of more of the same styled figure. The playing board is 8 x 8 and filled with all sorts of emoji faces, ghosts, Santa Clauses, queens and more.

At the top of the playing board you will find the type and number of characters you need to remove from the playing board. Your score and timer sits in the upper right corner with your current level displayed in the upper left corner. An ad-banner sits nicely out of the way at the bottom of the screen. However, in between levels you will be slapped upside the head by a full-page ad.

While the goal sounds simple, it was surprisingly difficult to pick out the one or two emoji styles to create the matches from. After staring at them for a while, the emoji begin to blend together, making it tough to distinguish one from another and adds to the challenge of the game. The game actually gets easier when you advance to higher gaming levels and find emoji of different colors thrown into the mix.

Overall Impression

While at times I felt as though I was going cross-eyed picking out a smiling emoji from a squinty faced emoji, I did find EmojiHunt to be an entertaining game to help pass the time. I don't know if it is strong enough to be a daily driver but something worth visiting every now and then.

The one thing that was missing from EmojiHunt that you often find with other match-three styled games is bonus items, items that would clear rows or sections of characters when used in a match. Then again, that might make the game too easy.

Forty-eight levels of play will tide you over for a short time and hopefully the developer will add more to the mix before too long. If not, the game could be short lived for those with an eagle eye and can pick out emoji styles at a glance.

Overall, EmojiHunt is a decent match-three styled game to add to your Windows Phone gaming library.

  • EmojiHunt – Windows Phone 8 – Free – Store Link

George Ponder

George is the Reviews Editor at Windows Central, concentrating on Windows 10 PC and Mobile apps. He's been a supporter of the platform since the days of Windows CE and uses his current Windows 10 Mobile phone daily to keep up with life and enjoy a game during down time.