Ratio is less of a board game and more of a puzzle game, however with the advent of iPad technology the lines do become increasingly blurred. It is for these reasons that I think an inclusive approach to board gaming will better serve us than exclusive (That being said, we try not to review games that are to derivative of another person’s IP, or based on a classic board game).
Gameplay
The principles of the game are exceptionally simple – get the two coloured stones on either side of a grid of 3 x 2 into their opposite space. This can only be accomplished through a series of moves that navigate the stones around a series of pins that are places on the vertices of these grids.
The rules are that a stone can only move orthogonally if in doing so it passes one pin. No pins on either vertices, or a pin on both will prevent movement in that direction. However, in moving a stone that pin will transverse from one corner to its opposite along the line the stone moved. Yes, that is a lot of conditionals and circuitous explanations, but once you see it in action it is quite obvious what I mean.
However, the nature of this game means that you have to puzzle out how your immediate actions will affect later actions as the movement options unfold and reconfigure as you manipulate the stones. It is possible to be able to anticipate all those permutations but it lies beyond the realm of most mortal minds. For those like myself who are weak and human (dammit, where’s my cyborg brain) one must resort to a bit of trial and error.
The game plays across a series of increasingly challenging set ups. No doubt taking it all the way to the end is an exercise in logic.
Implementation
Though this game was clearly designed for the iOS it could have been designed as a physical game. However, considering the cost of producing physical games and the absolute competition of that market this is undoubtedly the smarter choice for sharing the game. I don’t know if this game would have that much popularity in the physical, but for a dollar it can compete alongside many other casual games.
Ultimately, that is what this game is – a casual board game. Do not expect a depth of challenge or complexity of play, but naturally that will make it more accessible to a larger audience, including children. Whether your child enjoys the simple aesthetics or have the focus required to puzzle it out is the variable I can’t anticipate.
Verdict
5/10: Deceptively simple, the game can draw you in. I don’t know if it has a high level of replay value though.
Ratio,Review By: Angelus Morningstar
Completed a Masters of Jurisprudence at University of Sydney. I am an activist, dramaturge, and instigator of strange mind experiments.
I’m a storyteller, and I mostly tell stories about people. These aren’t always stories you’ll find written down, they can be stories told over a coffee, told by firelight, told through art act and lifestyle. Of course, we all tell stories. We love our little fictions, lies and dreams – I just like to embellish a bit more than most.
My current project of substantial size is called Eidolon. It can be found here:
http://www.eidolon.me
This is not a board game. The distinguishing feature of board games are that you play against opponents. Keep your focus on board games and you'll serve a specific niche. Start covering everything and you'll lose many of the board gamers. And there are more than enough general gaming app review sites already out there.
I am not sure I entirely agree with you here. Personally I've always felt that the distinguishing feature of a board game was its board, yet typically included in the suite of games that get played where strategy or euro games are played are a number of variants on that theme. This includes Bang!, Ascension, Everygame. We have a number of board games which can be played solo, and in fact there are a number of games for the iPad that are much more explicitly board games that don't get reviewed here because I think they are less relevant to the audience here. Take Might and Card, which is very blatantly a Carcasonne clone, or any of the games made from classic board games. Regarding service a specific niche, even by extending the definition a little we are serving a pretty limited niche. The gaming community isn't that big, and neither is the portion of the world's demographic that plays iPads. The thing is, the presence of a computer tablet opens up possibilities of gaming rather than focuses it down. I don't think this website is best served by having a closed or narrow focus on what a 'board game' should be. I have my opinions on what I think should go into one, but those are my personal preferences. As a critic, I'll give my honest opinion on those criteria, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't review it. Lastly, if we use too narrow a definition, there would go many weeks apart from when a 'genuine' board game gets released. If we were to do only intermittent reviews and have sparse commentary, I guarantee you that this site would lose traffic. What keeps people engaged with websites like this is new content.