About the Sci-Fi Spot the Difference Game
Rockets, robots, aliens and distant galaxies — our sci-fi memory game is a love letter to every space opera you grew up on.
What's on the Sci-Fi boards
The pictures the two boards are built from — 12 in all: 🚀 Rocket🛸 UFO👽 Alien🤖 Robot🪐 Planet⭐ Star🌌 Galaxy💫 Shooting Star☄️ Comet🔭 Telescope🔬 Microscope⚛️ Atom
Study tip: scan the left board in the same order every time — top-left to bottom-right — and check its twin against that order. The difference between rocket and ufo is easy to spot; a missing alien in the wrong corner is not, unless your scan is systematic.
How to memorise a genre board
Genre decks are trope checklists. Every item is something you have watched a hundred times — the proposal scene, the plot twist, the cosy rain on the window. Memorise each tile by naming its trope out loud, and the board turns into a film quiz you are having with yourself.
Sequence them into a watchlist. Romantic-comedy beats, heist beats, horror beats: the items almost sort themselves into a story order. One run through the order and recall becomes a matter of "what comes next", which your memory does effortlessly.
How to Play
- Press Start. Two boards appear, looking identical.
- Compare them tile by tile — one has been swapped for something different.
- Tap the changed tile, on either board, before the timer runs out.
- Each round adds more tiles and less time. Three misses ends the run.
Fun Facts About Sci-Fi
- The term "science fiction" was first used in 1851 by William Wilson.
- H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds (1898) helped define the genre.
- The first feature-length sci-fi film was Méliès's A Trip to the Moon in 1902.
- There are an estimated 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe.
Genre deck questions
Do I need to know the shows and films to enjoy this?
Not at all — the pictures carry the meaning, and recognising the tropes is a bonus, not a requirement. Fans get an extra layer; everyone else gets a well-designed matching game.
Which board should a superfan pick?
Whichever genre they argue about most. Recognition is fast when you love the material, which is why superfans should jump straight to the hard board and defend their honour.