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Brad Cummings
United States
Connecticut
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The Stats:
Compatibility: iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad (separate versions)
Current Price: $3.99/$7.99
Developer/Publisher: Sreeprakash Neelakantan/Schogini Systems
Version: 3.2/2.0
Size: 16.0 MB/16.7 MB
Multiplayer: Online and Pass and Play.
AI: Yes.
Itunes link: Khet and Khet 2x (for iPad)
The Good:
- A challenging AI will attract experienced players.
The Bad:
- The graphic design doesn’t take advantage of the digital platform.
- Your mileage may vary based on your desire for an AI challenge.
Gameplay:
To be honest, I don't believe I have ever seen a physical copy of Khet. I have heard of it, of course, but I have never come across a physical copy. My original thoughts about Khet were that it was a game based mostly a cool piece of tech, the laser. However, Khet is actually a very deep and strategic game. It has more variety than Chess but features the same type of back and forth tactical play. The laser is a key ingredient to the package, but there is also a good game built around it.
Khet is a game for two players where each is tries to target and eliminate the other player’s pieces with their laser. Each player has several pieces. Each player has a Pharaoh that they must protect. If a player’s Pharaoh is ever hit with a laser, they lose the game. Players have two Anubis pieces that are immune to lasers from the front but can be eliminated from the sides. Each player has two Beetle pieces that cannot be eliminated and have mirrors on both sides. The beetle can also swap places on the board with an adjacent piece for their move. Players also have six Pyramid pieces that are protected by a mirror on two sides but can be eliminated on the other two sides. Finally players have one sphinx which will emit a laser at the press of button. Each turn players move one piece or rotate a piece one quarter turn. Then they press the laser on their Sphinx and eliminate any piece that may be in the laser’s path. Pieces can move adjacently or diagonally and there are certain spots on the board, marked silver or red, that only the player of that color can occupy. Play continues until one player loses their Pharaoh or resigns from the game.
The game is quite fun and requires a lot of thought. It is enjoyable to pull off a complicated move and I even find it enjoyable when a player pulls off a move you were not expecting against you. The game is tactical like Chess but seems to offer a new twist on the formula.
Implementation:
Abstract games have been very successful on iOS in the past. Games such as Army of Frogs can be packed with theme and animation almost giving the game a new life (also see Hey, That’s My Fish). Khet does not follow in the path of these games and maintains a very direct translation design. Where it does succeed is in the area of AI challenge. Khet is meant to challenge your brain with an AI that makes few mistakes, even on the lower levels. This is not a digital rebirth, but rather a brain puzzler comparable to Chess AIs of old.
As mentioned above Khet fails to reinvent itself in the graphic design department. In all accounts it looks almost identical to a top down view of the board game itself. The pieces definitely look different and after a few games you will start to understand which piece does what. However, this is clearly a missed opportunity. The developers could have used this as a chance to get creative and think of clearer ways to show the reflective surfaces of the pieces. It is not that the game is unplayable, it is just that the graphic design does nothing to help the game be clearer. The interface is fairly basic and easy to manage. To move a piece you simple drag and drop and to rotate you tap the piece. These functions work well and the game allows you to confirm the move so you can make sure you did not make a mistake before locking it in. It is hard to fault the app on this account. The app is very playable, the developers simply chose to add very few digital touches.
AI is an area where the developers seem to have devoted the bulk of their efforts. There are four levels to choose from and even the early levels present a challenge. As a new player I was able to beat the easiest AI after just a few plays, however, with the other AI players it is much more of a challenge. You will need to play near perfectly to succeed with the high level AI players. This AI is probably the largest selling point for fans of Khet. If you enjoy the game and are looking to have your skills tested, this app will do the trick. If you are looking for a human challenge, the app also features pass and play and Game Center multiplayer modes. The iPhones small screen does not make this ideal for pass and play, but an iPad version has been promised in the near future. The online servers feel pretty empty at the moment but perhaps this review and others like it can drive players to the game.
The game does feature a tutorial which will quickly teach new players the game. Clearer graphic design would make the game more accessible for new players, but as it is the tutorial works well. The app is clearly focused on challenging experienced players and it also does a satisfactory job of welcoming new players. My only worry is that the game's presentation and AI limit its wide appeal. Casual gamers will quickly find it too great of a challenge, where as lovers of Chess will welcome it. Determining where you fall in this range will be a key factor in deciding if this is the app for you.
Conclusion:
Khet is a clean translation of the board game. It excels at delivering a challenging AI for experienced players, however, apart from this it does not seem to take advantage of the digital platform. If you are a fan of Khet I would recommend picking this up. If you are new to the game this may not be an instant buy.
Rating:  2/4 Decent
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