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Brad Cummings
United States
Connecticut
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Hi Everyone,
Thank you for the overwhelming response to our first contest. We really enjoyed reading all of your submitted ideas. We have chosen the winners and here they are:
SJack, Clemens Schneidhofer, Michael, Gerald Gan, Shawn Lockard, John Soety, Chris Aylott, Benjamin Weseloh, James Abele, Clyde Wright, Hari Seldon, Jeph Stahl, Danny Bartel, John Anderson, Eric Mowrer, Paul Raggett, Dave Lartigue, Chris Norwood, Mark Rousar, Thomas Pancoast, Bryce Johnson, Michael Tagge, Andrew Ramsey, Jeff Hastings, Chia Kangyu.
Look forward to receiving your promo code from us in the next few days.
Thank you all for participating.
Now the Review:
The Stats:
Compatibility: iPad (HD version), iPhone, and iPod Touch.
Current Price: $3.99
Developer/Publisher: Aspirement games/Amigo Spiel
Version: 1.0
Size: 14.8MB
Multiplayer: Pass and play (Only 2 players)
AI: Yes, Varying difficulty levels.
iTunes links: http://itunes.apple.com/app/bohnanza/id434832734?mt=8
http://itunes.apple.com/app/bohnanza-hd/id434833999?mt=8
The Good:
It is Bohnanza to go. If you want a quick fix, it is all there.
Much of the zany artwork is there.
The Bad:
The interface is in need of polish.
The limited multiplayer options seems like a strange choice in a game based on trading.
Summary:
I am a big fan of the physical game Bohnanza. It is one of the very few games my wife has ever requested I purchased. Because of all these reasons, I wanted to love Bohnanza in app form. In truth the game is all there, and if I want a quick shot of Bohnanza I will pull it out, however the lack of many multiplayer options and some interface issues stop this app from being a go to game.
Gameplay:
Bohnanza is a great little game that can act as a great introduction to deeper games. It has zany art and unlike some other games (cough cough Munchkin) it does not rely on the one of gags of its art to make the game, but rather offers an interesting negotiation and set collection game.
Bohnanza is a well known game so I will not explain to much. It is a game of trading beans. Players received a hand of bean cards and on each turn they must plant the first bean in their hand, and may optionally plant the second. Players then draw 2 bean cards from the deck and must plant or trade them. The heart of Bohnanza is in the trading. You are constantly trading to make sure that your hand it lined up in such a way that you are able to plant what is coming up.
Bohnanza is not a deep game but packs a lot of fun and player interaction. The folks at Aspirement have managed to preserve the core gameplay and have tried to foster some player interaction.
Implementation:
I love Bohnanza and if you love Bohnanza there is no reason not to pick this up. It will offer you a nice and easy way to enjoy a quick Bohnanza. There will be those that will question whether Bohnanza works as an app against AI, when so much of the game relies on player interaction. Well the short answer is: it doesn’t. It does not work in every way. The computers are limited in their play styles and soon you will see how they play, but this is less of a limitation and more of straight fact. Many iOS conversions to don’t seek to fully replace the game but rather offer a way to play portably. And Bohnanza offers that despite its limitations. [/rant] Now lets take a look at the elements of Bohnanza and how it could be improved.
The graphic design of Bohnanza was initially off putting to me. However, after the initial shock it is clear that Aspirement is hoping to embody the zany cartoon artwork that has always been part of Bohnanza. All of the bean images are included and they even include different artwork when you select the bean for planting or harvesting. The art does fit well with the Bohnanza mythos (is that a thing?), but I feel like it makes the app look unpolished. Another possible annoyance is the included player avatars. Rather than using bean characters (which seems like a great resource) the designers have used things such as a hoe, a barrel, and a bomb. They are cut enough but it seems like they could be more interesting. On a side note, whichever avatar you pick for yourself eliminates the AI player usually associated with that avatar (seems kind of strange and something that could be fixed).
The user interface in Bohnanza is a mixed bag. The menus are fairly clear and straight forward. They do not really change conditionally meaning you can click on resume game when you do not really have a game to resume. The in gameplay for the most part seems straightforward. You drag cards to plant them and tap cards to harvest them. I don’t seem to have ever made an incorrect move because of the interface. The trade interface to me seems better than I imagined or expected. It seems very straightforward and streamlined when you can’t actually vocally say your trade. A major issue with the gameplay interface is that you cannot see one of the players cards that they draw, it is constantly covered by one of the game menus and you can just barely see the tops of the 2 cards they draw that must be planted or traded. I have learned to identify them by color but it seems like something that should be fixed.
Single player versus AI will be the main play mode most used in the current version of the app. Though with the option of 2 human players, it is important to note that this is a great way to play Bohnanza when you only have two, since the required number of players is at least 3. I look forward to trying this with my wife in the near future. The AI players themselves are challenging enough. The AI could be stronger and I do win the majority of games, however, I do not win everyone (possibly due to the randomness of Bohnanza. It can get frustrating because the AI players can be extremely stingy in trading, however, like I said, the human win percentage is very high so it does not feel like they are cheating you out of victory.
Conclusion:
I like this app because I like Bohnanza. It is not perfect and as you can see above could use many improvements. I would love stronger AI, online multiplayer, local multiplayer support for 4 players and a refined interface. The game is in dire need of many of these features, however if you are looking for a single player quick fix of Bohnanza then this app will provide that. I for one am happy to have Bohnanza on the go.
Rating:  1/4 Need Improvement
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. thanks so much, looking forward to trying this app out soon.
