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Brad Cummings
United States
Connecticut
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The Stats:
Compatibility: Universal
Current Price: $1.99
Developer/Publisher: Stephane Legrand/Jactalea
Version: 1.0.0
Size: 12.3 MB
Multiplayer: Pass and Play.
AI: Yes
Itunes link: The Blue Lion
The Good:
- Great two player game that works well on iOS, especially on iPad.
- For Euro-game fans this is a chance to check out the game before its US wide release.
The Bad:
- The AI is somewhat entertaining, but after a few plays the single player experience becomes dry.
Gameplay:
The Blue Lion is a strategic tile laying game for two players released at Essen 2012. The rules are simple and the game is language independent but I am not sure it is widely available in the US as of yet. For this reason it is great to see this two player gem available on iOS.
The rules for The Blue Lion are quite simple and I believe the description on Board Game Geek lays it out well:
A valuable diamond – the Blue Lion – is on display at the Louvre and two thieves, Arsène Lupin Lupin and Lady X, both want to steal it.
The Blue Lion is played using six tiles. Each tile shows an icon on both the front and back: Lupin, Lady X, the Blue Lion diamond, or a police inspector. Each combination of two icons occurs once. One player plays as Lupin, the other as Lady X. During set-up, these tiles are arranged in a row. In turn, the players take one tile and add it to the front or the back of the line, without looking at the back of the tile. After this set-up, the players try to score points by creating special combinations of tiles. Each turn, a player can perform one of three actions to change the line:
- Switch two adjacent tiles.
- Move a tile that is on one end of the line to the other end of the line.
- Flip a tile.
If this action results in a scoring combination of three tiles, the player scores points. The combinations are:
- Sandwiching a tile showing the opponent by two tiles showing police inspectors: 1 point.
- Sandwiching a tile showing the Blue Lion by two tiles showing the player's character: 2 points.
- Creating a row of three tiles showing the Blue Lion: 3 points.
After a combination has been formed, the middle tile of the combination is removed. The opposing player then adds it to one end of the line, although he cannot score points by doing so.
The first player to score seven points wins.
As you can see The Blue Lion is a simple back and forth two player game. Games are generally quick and require thought, but are easy enough to introduce to new players or non-gamers.
Implementation:
Two players games have worked well so far on iOS, especially on iPad. It is easy to set the device between two players and complete a game. The Blue Lion does not feature any hidden information, making it perfect for this type of gameplay. If you often play two player games with your wife or significant other you may want to take a look at this app.
Graphically, The Blue Lion takes most of its assets directly from the physical game. The cartoons are light but not silly and fit well with the “diamond thief” theme. All of the tiles are very clear to tell apart both by the cartoon on the card and the background color. The interface design of the app is also pretty well done. You drag tiles to place them or swap them and you double tap to flip a tile. One concern is that if you happen to make a mistake, there is no back button. This was probably done intentionally, so, as a player it is always important to double check before making a move. Another possible issue is that in a two player game, the tiles do not orient themselves to the second player's view. Players are intended to (at least according to the graphical set up) sit on either side of iPad but the tiles always remained oriented toward the Arsene player. This is not too big of hassle since all the tiles are easy to tell apart, but it would have given the app some extra polish.
As mentioned above, The Blue Lion works very well in tablet play mode especially on the iPad as the interface is large and seems comparable to the physical game. Some reviewers have complained that the game does not have a lot of depth but I think this is a matter of interpretation. It is a simple, tactical, two player game but it will not always play out the same and you cannot really use set routes or patterns. Tile placement and starting position can change the outcome of the game as well as the ways you choose to score that game. No, it does not have several paths to victory, but frankly, that is not the point. This game is meant to tease your brain with another player for a few minutes, it is not meant to be an all night affair. This being said, The Blue Lion is not the best single player experience. This app does feature an AI with two levels but after a few games the AI will not provide much of challenge. There is enough luck in the game (that later becomes memory) that you may lose occasionally, but the game is much better with a human opponent. The interaction with a human player increases the fun and there is satisfaction in pulling off a big move.
Conclusion:
The Blue Lion is a great example of a two player game for iOS. I hope we see more two players games like this in the future. The interface could use a little polish and the single player experience quickly becomes shallow, but one on one with a human opponent is very enjoyable. If you like to play games with your wife or significant other this is certainly an app to pick up.
Rating:  3/4 Good
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