Building a Scalable Memory Game with Vanilla JavaScript

A Card-Flipping Classic Reimagined for the Browser

In Week 7 of my Project52 journey — where I build 52 projects in 52 weeks to level up as a developer — I set out to build a modern, scalable Memory Game, using only the frontend trinity: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

The result? An adaptive, multi-level memory challenge with themed symbols, animated transitions, scoreboards, and performance tracking — all powered by plain DOM manipulation and native JS logic.

This week, I built a fully interactive Memory Game using only HTML, CSS, and Vanilla JavaScript — no libraries, no frameworks. Inspired by the classic card-matching game, the project features animated cards, themed levels, timed challenges, and a real-time scoring system.

The Concept

The core objective of the game is simple:

Flip two cards. If they match, they remain open. If not, they flip back. The game continues until all pairs are found.

But I wanted more than a basic 4x4 memory game. So I expanded it to include:

• Multiple Themes: Animals 🐶, Symbols ♠, and Foods 🍎

• Level Progression: From a 4×4 grid up to a 6×6 layout

• Timed Previews: Cards are shown briefly before gameplay

• Live Scoring System: Tracks correct/incorrect moves, points, time

• Animated Transitions: Smooth flips, match pulses, and modals

• Replayability: Score resets, level restarts, and a celebratory modal at completion

Architecture Overview

This is a purely frontend project, with no backend, no libraries, no frameworks. The project is fully self-contained and runs in any modern browser.

Component Breakdown:

• HTML: Semantic, accessible structure with logical layout

• CSS: Grid-based layout, media queries for responsiveness, keyframe animations, transitions

• JavaScript (Vanilla):

Key Learnings:

1. DOM Manipulation Mastery

Directly interacting with the DOM helped me deeply understand element creation, event binding, and how performance can be affected by excessive reflows or layout thrashing. I gained clarity on how modern frameworks abstract these mechanics.

2. State Management Without React

I had to build my own “mini store”:

This reinforced how game state must sync with UI state — something often abstracted in frameworks. Any desync could result in visual or logical bugs (e.g., cards flipping incorrectly or scoring being off).

3. CSS3 Animations + Game Logic

I used:

• for flipping cards

• for a pulse effect on matches

• Transitions to smooth interactions

But what I didn’t expect was timing conflicts — ensuring the game logic waits for animations to complete before evaluating a match was tricky. I had to set delays in sync with animation durations.

4. Timing and Timer Management

I built:

• A preview timer (countdown before real gameplay starts)

• A gameplay timer (counting elapsed play time)

• A points bonus system based on time

This involved using for precise tracking and + to manage transitions between game states.

5. Debugging Recursive Logic Bugs

A key bug I faced was infinite recursion. In I called , which itself called again if the game was already in progress. The fix? I passed a flag to prevent reentry, which taught me the importance of guard clauses and execution context awareness.

Challenges Faced

• UI and Logic Desync: Ensuring animations finished before logic executed

• Mobile Responsiveness: Card sizes had to scale intelligently

• User Feedback: Timing and visual cues had to be just right

• Game Loop Integrity: Ensuring that matched pairs were correctly calculated and that state reset cleanly each level

Future Enhancements

• Add localStorage support for saving scores

• Introduce dark mode and sound FX

• Allow users to create custom themes

• Add leaderboards and time-based challenges

• Eventually, convert this into a progressive web app (PWA)

Live Demo & Code

🎮 Play the Game: Access the Game

Why This Project Matters

Most developers today start directly with frameworks. But mastering the fundamentals builds real confidence. This project helped me:

• Understand the lifecycle of interactive components

• Improve debugging skills by working directly with the browser console

• Develop a deeper appreciation for game loops and state machines

Thanks for reading. – Atul Verma

📍 Marketer + Rookie Developer| Building 52 Projects in 52 Weeks

🔁 #Project52 | 💻 #FrontendDev | 🎮 #GameDev