# Oblique Strategies — user reviews > 70 indexed App Store user reviews of Oblique Strategies by Alex Lelievre, rated 3.00/5 from 1,672 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oblique-strategies/id291102639/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oblique-strategies/id291102639.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 369 · 4★ 279 · 3★ 399 · 2★ 304 · 1★ 321 ## What do users think of Oblique Strategies? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🎨 Interesting and thought-provoking - 🧠 Helpful for creativity and problem-solving - 🚀 Convenient to have on the go - 👍 Comprehensive and well-designed **Cons** - 🔀 Lack of true randomization - 📱 Inconvenient landscape-only orientation - 🔍 Lack of information about different editions **Commonly reported bugs** - Randomization issues - Compatibility concerns **Most requested features** - Shake-to-shuffle feature - Option to combine all editions into one deck - Browse mode to view all cards - Slideshow feature ## Newest reviews (15 of 70) ### 4/5 — I love Oblique Strategies, but... *2009-08-03* Was very happy to see this appear for free in the App Store after having it on a Jailbroken iPod Touch. But. What happened to portrait mode? It's very annoying to have to move to two-handed landscape mode just to read the screen. Also I agree with others who have said this would be a perfect application for a shake-to-shuffle feature. Really it would be shake-to-show-next (random) item, ideally. It's great to see a preferences screen with the choice of different editions of the strategies. It would be nice to have some more information about the editions - are the editions additive, or do some strategies get dumped when editions get updated? How different are they? Why are they different? OK, I'll try to find the answer on the web, but some hints about this inside the app would not hurt. Should also have an option to select from ALL editions (but with duplicates removed, so everything has an equal chance of getting selected). This is a music app in the same way that a color wheel is a restaurant app. In other words, not at all. Yes, you can use a color wheel to help you decide how to paint a restaurant... just like can use Oblique Strategies to help inspire your music. But it's not for music only. Eno and Schmidt are not just musicians. This app should be put in another category, not Music. I would say put it in the App Store Productivity category. ### 4/5 — Nicely Done *2009-06-22, version 0* This is the nicest implementation of Oblique Strategies I've found in the app store ... and free as well! I appreciate the ability to select which version of the cards are being used. I'd like to be able to choose when to reshuffle a pack, maybe by shaking the iPhone, rather than waiting until the pack is used up (or selected and reslecting which version to use) but this is a minor issue. The ability to add my own cards would be icing on the cake. Thanks for this app. ### 4/5 — Interesting, but not sure how useful *2009-04-11* Not to be confused with a similarly-named 99-cent app from a different developer. This app allows a random draw from the “Oblique Strategies” deck, a set of flash cards originally developed by a musician to help him break creative blocks. It’s never really done much for me in that regard, but it’s an interesting curiosity—sort of like a “Magic 8 Ball” with more faces. ### 5/5 — Outstanding *2009-01-21, version 0* For such a simple app it is quite simply outstandingly usefull. If you don't get it, you don't need it! ### 5/5 — Excellent *2009-01-20, version 0* Easy tool that helps you to think out of the box. ### 5/5 — Terrific *2009-01-18* I own an actual deck, have used the dashboard widget, yahoo widget, and even made my own. This is a terrific way to bring them with me on the go. ### 4/5 — Given time, this becomes useful *2009-01-14, version 0* Some of the cards seem weird at first, but once you use them a few times, you get the hang of it. Good for curing a mental block ### 5/5 — Fantastic! *2008-12-31, version 0* Gets you out of those creative head funks when working. ### 5/5 — Great for Brian Eno fans like myself *2008-12-31, version 0* Genius. ### 5/5 — Yepyep *2008-12-24, version 0* I used this on my jailbroken iPod on 1.1.4, and loved it then... And now, I love it as an app store app. This actually helps in writing music. ### 5/5 — Very interesting app *2008-12-23, version 0* Helps with lateral thinking! Recommended, especially for free. ### 5/5 — Out of the box *2008-12-21, version 0* An excellent tool for approaching problems in a creative way. ### 4/5 — Cool idea *2008-12-20, version 0* I like it but it needs more "strategies". It's eclectic. Fun to use. ### 5/5 — Awesome *2008-12-17, version 0* Great app. Lots of fun and really useful. Creative ad original. Love it. Thanks! ### 5/5 — Geek *2008-12-17, version 0* Welcome to the weird apps!! ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Pretentious *2009-09-13, version 0* A pretentious pack of random drivel by a bloviating, washed-up poseur ### 1/5 — Sublime *2009-01-03, version 0* Helps me create space in my mind garden ### 1/5 — The true guru of obscure blue *2008-12-19, version 0* I'm a blues musician and obviously a very slow learner as I just don't get this app period- forget that it has nothing to do with music. I cannot find one redeeming thing at all. ### 1/5 — Brilliant *2008-12-17, version 0* Wish we'd had it when recording our album ### 1/5 — Waste of time *2008-11-22, version 0* Totally pointless app. If your mind is that empty that you need this app then don't make music. ### 2/5 — 90 degrees from perfection *2009-05-21, version 0* A lovely implementation of a magnificent creative device. If only it were oriented vertically it would be more comfortable to use. Randomization wouldn't hurt either. You're at the threshold of greatness. Push harder. ### 2/5 — Randomizing is so easy.. *2009-02-07, version 0* It's so easy to do that you're making a mockery of yourselves and the great content within this app by not doing it. Even if it's free the app deserves to be fixed. Fix this. ### 2/5 — You've got to be kidding *2008-09-22, version 0* I was very excited about this app. I love my iPhone, I have a 1st Edition deck of the cards purchased in the late 70s, and my band uses the deck every weekend when we rehearse. The idea of having Oblique Strategies ON the iPhone sounded awesome!!! But after downloading this app yesterday, using it during yesterday's band rehearsal, and then discussing it with various members afterward (who are also iPhone app developers), I've come to the conclusion that Far Out Labs is one of the laziest, short-sighted developers around. What a disappointment this app is. Yes, the basic interface is nice, but that is where the good times end. Here are the problems: 1. The database record (card) picker IS NOT RANDOM! This is insane. They couldn't take the time to add a subroutine to randomize the card picker?!? The upshot of this is that with a group of musicians, each having an iPhone, they'll all get the same card every time! Ridiculous. 2. To advance to the next card, you have to tap the screen twice. What?!? And you can't even swipe forward or backward. Did this developer even BOTHER to learn all the fabulous UI options that the iPhone SDK provides developers? 3. No rotation available. Once again, lazy developers aboard. Any decent Cocoa coder knows that iPhone users are going to want this. Not to mention musicians, who move around a lot. The card should ROTATE to follow the musician, so that it is always readable. Intelligent software is the goal--always. 4. FINALLY: No "shake" available. Far Out Labs totally missed the boat on this one. The new killer UI trick is to have an app do something cool when you SHAKE your iPhone. This app would have been PERFECT for that implementation! Shake the iPhone, the screen shows the cards shuffling themselves (or fanning out), and then a new (RANDOM, please!) card appears. Can't believe they missed that one. All in all, this is one of the BIGGEST disappointments from the Apps store. And a good object lesson (pun intended) for other developers: build some functionality into your app! Don't just purloin someone else's great idea(s). ### 3/5 — neat but not random... *2008-10-20, version 0* please add a randomizer!!! ### 3/5 — And gosh darn it... *2008-10-08, version 0* ...people like me! ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Thank you. *2010-01-27, version 0* All 5 editions and as simple as it deserves to be. What more can you ask for? ### 5/5 — Alberquerque *2009-09-03, version 0* The one without the parsley is the one without the poison. Hard to tell at this distance (in time). ### 5/5 — This is how it seems to be *2009-07-19, version 0* For all mankind. ### 5/5 — Love it! *2009-07-17, version 0* Awesome phrases to get you thinking! ### 5/5 — Great. *2009-06-12, version 0* Fantastic. Really pleased to discover that there was an app for this. ### 5/5 — great for a whack in the head *2009-03-20* This is a great complement to my Oblique Strategies deck. It's not a total replacement, as the tactile aspect of the cards has itabiwn advantages, especially in a group setting. Sometimes useful for songwriting, but moreso for arranging, mixing, and other production aspects of recording music. My only complaint is the lack of a slideshow feature. That being said, it's free, so I can't complain too much! I'd love to see a similar app for Roger van Oech's Creative Whack cards. ### 5/5 — simple, nice, free *2009-03-12, version 0* it does one thing and it does it well. i've used it quite a bit to generate ideas or to get over creative humps when writing songs, so it's been extremely useful to me. ### 5/5 — simply awesome. *2009-03-08, version 0* If you have any interest in the exploration of controlled chance or aleatoric music/methodologies, you will love this. free?? DOWNLOAD IT - WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?? ### 5/5 — very cool *2009-02-15* is exactly what it claims - and is free. People who are complaining about features need to write their own version of the app or shutup - it's free. Haven't noticed the randomization issue - but I haven't looked for it - so that may be a problem. ### 5/5 — Great strategy tool *2009-02-05, version 0* Need some updates though --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*