iOS Universal, Android •
Asmodee Digital is back on the App Store this week with a quick-playing, two-player card game called Jaipur. I know that it will be a hard sell to pull you away from Race for the Galaxy, but let me give it a try… GO BUY JAIPUR!
Jaipur is a simple game that can be learned in a few minutes, but has enough meat to keep you interested well after you’ve finished the tutorial. The basic gist is that you and your opponent are traders, with 6 different goods available in the marketplace. You’re trying to get sets of goods and then sell them for delicious victory points. The trick is, when you sell a good, you take a chip corresponding to that good. There are only so many chips for each good, so if you’ve been hoarding silver hoping to get a big haul when you sell, but your opponent sells his first and takes all the silver chips, you’re out of luck.
Why not just sell goods as soon as you get them? Because you get bonus points if you can sell sets of 3, 4, or 5 goods, so holding out until you have 5 goods can really tip the scales in your favor.
Jaipur has solo play vs. AI as well as a solitaire campaign in which each match changes up the rules. There is also pass-and-play and online multiplayer, if that’s your bag.
I’ve been playing the pre-release version of Jaipur for a few weeks now, and it’s a great filler game. You can finish a game in minutes, and yet feel like you had to work your brain a little bit to get there. It’s available right now for iOS and Android and is on sale at a special launch price.
So, the app description says there’s a launch sale, TA says 1.99 but it comes up 2.99. Anyone know what the deal is? Is 3 bucks the sale price or is it supposed to be 2?
It seems that Jaipur’s online is just as “good” as other Asmodee releases. No asynchronous play, and you can’t invite friends unless you are both on,I’ve and in the lobby. Come on, Asmodee, step it up!
I could swear that Brad and I created a friendly game in multiplayer during the beta, but he now tells me that we didn’t and we only hooked up because we were the only two players in the lobby. Wishful thinking on my part, I guess.
I also tried playing a game with Whovian last night and the game forfeited saying I had taken too much time to take my turn. This happened about 1 second after Whovian finished his turn, so it appears there’s something wrong with the timer as well.
Asmodee told us that $3 is the sale price. Then again, their PR is a bit wonky right now, so who knows?
Thanks, I picked it up last night. Really digging it as a quick-playing solo game.
Probably will never try the multiplayer, but I am fond of the single player campaign and pass and play.