20 Squares User Reviews

Name: 20 Squares: Royal Game of Ur
Rating: 4 (17 reviews)

20 Squares: Royal Game of Ur

Ooh La Banana

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Such an amazingly engaging game

Not the best AI but I play to minimise it’s score - best game so far is 11points… 😀

Truly a game that has passed the test of time with millennia or game play so far.
When the last of us are playing a game this will be it - a few stones and the board scratched in the dirt is all they’d need - I am happy to play this version for now though!

canlovecivagain

3 years ago

Response from developer

Thanks so much! Glad you like it!

Simple and effective

Irving Finkels game type, plain and simple!

Jimbob196384

5 years ago

A Great Casual Game

It’s historical and fast and fun to play. What more could you want?

Taosen

5 years ago

Brilliant App

Must be the best 99p I have ever spent. The analog version costs £100 from the British Museum. This is just great. Thank you dev. Put the price up! A truly great game.

iFull

6 years ago

Response from developer

Thanks! Glad you’re enjoying it.

Perfectly done, awesome game!

First off, thanks, developer, for pricing this so fairly as a premium game with no ads or IAP. I heartily support developers like you who do that right.

The game plays awesome! The rolls are fair. The graphics are good. The interface is intuitive. The rules were simple to learn.

Thank you for giving me a great new (very old, LOL) game to play while I’m having coffee or taking a break.

WRS15743

6 years ago

Response from developer

Thanks so much!

Excellent version of the game!

I only wish the difficulty was higher. I haven’t lost to the virtual opponent ever. However this is a delight to play. Well done!

Skeptic Gekko

7 years ago

Great game

Fun to play game. Simple in concept, but with lots of tactical depth. Thanks devs.

mocket

7 years ago

Response from developer

Gah! That’s not good! Saw that early in development, but thought I fixed it. Will resolve ASAP. Thanks for the review!

Love the game but....:

I wish it had a harder level. And PLEASE add a option to turn off volume. Last request leaderboard and show number of moves to help with learning the game

me87653

7 years ago

Response from developer

Thanks for the review! A mute button is coming shortly... As for the AI difficulty, it’s something I want to improve for sure.

Dice change 4/2019

I have been playing this for a long time. It’s fun and to think it is from way back when, is amazing. I am an older person, probably like most that are enjoying this game. (Not enough violence for younger kids) But, anyway, the 3 new black triangles are very small. I can not tell what is printed in white on them. And now my turn number is much a lighter color, and not as easy to see. Minor things in this world of big problems, but my 2 cents worth. Still a great game ..... Linda

MrsLCM

7 years ago

Response from developer

Thanks for the feedback! I’ve got an improvement coming for visibility. There’s nothing printed on the dice. They are just white pips to indicate the count; a pip on top (or in the middle in 2d) counts as one, none count as 0. But, the pips could be a bit more obvious, I agree.

Nice one!

Great work by the developer. Would like to see some of the original art work on the board. 🤞

Rtghihv

7 years ago

Response from developer

Thanks! Working on a better board, so stay tuned.

I’m positive it cheats

I have to agree with swhellweg on this. My enjoyment of the game is lessened because the ai cheats. When I play level 3, the ai almost ALWAYS gets the move it needs. So much so, I can predict, 9 times out of 10, how many moves it will get after I move my piece.

I really enjoy this game, but that joy is short lived when I play.

JoelHux

8 years ago

Response from developer

Hi. Thanks for the review! I guarantee that the dice rolling is exactly the same for humans as for the AI. Because there are four dice, a roll of 2 is far more common, so that always comes up more often, but there’s absolutely no trickery going on. I hope this changes your mind of the game and the review. But thanks for the rating regardless.

Catch up logic

This is a fun implementation of the game. Plays the way it should, and everything is accurate. The ai logic is pretty good over all. It does use some catch-up logic that was obvious. I was one role from winning, and way out ahead. It must have given me 8 zeroes in a row until it got closer and let me finish. Don’t tell me you haven’t fiddled with it. give me a break.

B0ne5tee1

8 years ago

Response from developer

There is no fiddling with the dice rolls for either the human or AI player. It uses the same mechanism and is entirely random.

Great Implementation, but graphically unappealing.

The designer has done a wonderful job of implementing Dr. Irving Finkle of The British Museum’s ruleset. I do wish it had some sort of graphic representation of the tetrahedral dice and the ability to “roll” your own dice. I have to objection which keep my rating T Four. My biggest objection is THE AI CHEATS! On the highest difficulty level it almost ALWAYS gets exactly what it needs to knock you out, get a second roll, or to score... almost always. It’s even noticeable on difficulty II, but it is much more balanced. My second biggest objection is the amateurish graphic design. While this has no bearing on the game interface or playability, the visual appeal of the original source game Ur, or many other versions available as tabletop editions, just isn’t there. As a graphic designer myself, I look forward playing games that are pleasing to the eye. When I’m playing this it makes me wish I could help bring this best-of-the-ur-apps-so-far to the next level. Ultimately the gameplay is relatively intuitive(except the ~), smooth and enjoyable, which I suppose is most important.

swhellweg

8 years ago

Response from developer

Thanks for the review! I promise you that the AI does not cheat. It uses the same randomness as player rolls. I’ve had many a game with human opponents as well that go sideways at the last minute; that’s what makes The Royal Game of Ur so enduring I think.

Plays great but the rules seem implemented incorrectly?

I thought that the extra turn square in the choke point of the board was protected and pieces were not allowed to be attacked in the rules stated by the British Royal Museum.

see_bones

8 years ago

Response from developer

That is how it is supposed to work. Are you seeing that is is able to be attacked?

Awesome game

Really fun for all ages

Skylocks20

8 years ago

Great for turn-taking

Play the oldest board game and learn a bit about history. It’s also good for practicing turn-taking. I like that the AI is not brutal but also not too easy.

CruelGreenDress

8 years ago

Great game!

I learned about 20 Squares, the Royal Game of Ur, from the British Museum on YouTube, with cuneiform expert (and gaming expert) Irving Finkel. This is a *great* implementation of the game, but sometimes when a "O" has been rolled (I think), the game displays a "-“. If it weren't for that one tiny bug, I'd have given this game a full 5 Stars. I play the game on my iPad. When set to the hardest level it is *very* difficult, and I'm looking forward to the version which connects it to the Game Center. Thanks!

P.S. Changed my review from 4 star to 5 star, because the "-“ means you can't move based on what you just rolled. Wonderful game, this precursor to backgammon!

Culture Geek

8 years ago

Response from developer

Thanks! Yeah, the “can’t move” indicator could be a bit more intuitive.

I Do Like This Game.

This brilliant game also known as The Royal Game of Ur, along with the ancient Egyptian game Senet, was probably the precursor to Backgammon.

The only small snag I have with this version is that it does not have the board symbols found on the original. It would also be nice to see the triangular shaped dice that were used to play the game in ancient times.

The upside is that the app plays the game as it was originally played according to the cuneiform tablet produced in the Hellenistic period and now residing in the British Museum.

Godflower

9 years ago

Really fun

It’s a really fun game and the kids love it!

WhiteWolf_yyc

9 years ago

OK version but has a bug and could use some changes

This game follows the most common piece movement flow pattern. There is an issue with the dice rolling, occasionally instead of a 0-4 coming up, a squiggly line appears which seems to be the same as a 0 roll. This appears to be a bug. Also, it would be better if the game allowed you to rotate the board 90 degrees and play from one side as I understand the game is meant to be played, as opposed to vertical. Lastly, it would be nice to see the pieces that you have completed bearing off.

Backgammon Master

9 years ago

Response from developer

Thanks for the feedback! The ~ symbol actually means that there were no valid moves to be played based on the roll. Perhaps that could be made clearer though. Hopefully this affects your view of the app!