I remember when I was a little kid, I had a ton of books from the Klutz company, who made resources for children about various activities and games. One of the books was about origami, the centuries-old art of paper folding. The technique originated in Japan, where it was a part of Shinto wedding ceremonies, art, and much more. Centuries later, this pale little boy in America was trying to follow in the footsteps of the masters–and failing miserably.
The problem was my creasing technique. As you can imagine, this part is rather clutch to the whole origami thing, since the word literally translates to “folding paper.” I was very adept at making a flat, sharp crease in the paper, but was totally unable to make the folds in the right place the first time. As I was nursing a latent case of mild OCD then, I was compelled to unfold and refold the same piece of paper endlessly until I got it right, or the paper square fell apart. (It was usually the latter.)
If Paperama had been around back in those days, I wouldn’t have had so much frustration. FDG Entertainment has made a new game that allows you to practice origami folds and designs without actually using paper. It’s obviously a less wasteful system than normal paper folding, but also less frustrating. Paperama doesn’t punish you for undoing a move–you can go back and retry everything as many times as you want. Precision and attention to detail is rewarded as you work through over 70 puzzles and create crowns, hooks, animals, and more. The graphics are smooth and the controls are simple–just tap, drag, and release to fold.
The only complaint I had about playing Paperama was that I wanted more! The title screen shows a gorgeous paper world with origami birds, mountains, and scenery. I wanted to see more of that world, and look at my creations in it too. But I’d settle for just another level pack. You can download Paperama from iTunes, and get walkthroughs for every level at Paperama Cheats.
