No dice no glory? Onitama begs to differ!
Do you ever get to the point where you think your dice are against you? Or maybe your friend is convinced that his dice are the ONLY reason he is losing to you. You could play a long and boring game of chess or you can get the same satisfaction (intellectually speaking) in 15 minutes. That is what it says on the box, 15 minutes. Can bring the worlds of great strategy to the world of simplicity? See for yourself.
An elegant and simple game of martial tactics…
Carved into the crags of the mist-shrouded mountains of ancient Japan lies the Shrine of Onitama. It is a place of enlightenment and skill, a site dedicated to the spirits that guide the Schools of Martial Arts across the land. Masters of these schools hazard the journey to Onitama with their most promising disciples to meet within its hallowed walls and to prove their superiority in battle against the others. (Arcane Wonders website)
The Gameplay
Like chess one of your objectives is to take the enemy’s leader, called a Sensei. Another way to win is to get your Sensei on the square where your enemy’s Sensei started. Any piece can take another by landing on it. In order to make a move, you use one of your cards to move any piece.
Once you use that card you exchange it with the “neutral” card off to the side of the table. Your opponent does the same on his turn taking the card you put in the “neutral zone” and replacing it with the card he used to move a piece. The fact that there are 16 cards and you only use 5 cards randomly chosen for each game makes every game unique, unlike chess.
The Components-
The mat is about the size of 2 mousepads and is made of the same material.The figures are hard plastic and have a chess weight feel to them.
The packaging is smart and great for storage. You can fit this game in a backpack and the way the pieces fit in the box everything stays neat and orderly even when jostled around.
The cover is even magnetized to keep the box closed. This is important as this will be a go-to game for people who like to play games in places other than their own home. For instance, while my wife was shopping for clothes, my son and I played a bunch of games on a small bench near the store. Everyone was a winner that day!
The Learning Curve
It literally takes seconds to learn how to play however it is a very deep game. You have to not only manage your pieces but you have to carefully manage the rotation of the cards. Do you use the awesome Dragon card early to create an advantage or do you deny your opponent the use of this card until a critical moment in the game?
These special moves are not yours alone though. In Onitama, players will shuffle the deck of moves, dealing two moves to each player to begin a game. In addition, a 5th will be placed face up, to the side of the board. When it is your turn, you may choose to move any piece using your cards, however, the card you choose to use will then be exchanged with the card to the side of the board. This means your opponent will have access to that move, after their next! Can you out-think, out-maneuver, and out-wit your opponent? (Arcane Wonder Website)
Verdict
I love historical games so my only complaint about this game is that there is nothing there to scratch that itch. However, if you need an alternative to chess or just sick of the dice ruining your day this game is a great alternative.