BAO
VMS Media · 2020 · Strategy, Board Game, Tabletop, Logic, Turn-Based Strategy
PC
4 user reviews75% · 4
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About BAO
BAO (of the Swahili people)
Bao is a boardgame in the mancala family of boardgames (games with seeds and pits).
There are many simple mancala type games out there but none of those are as mesmerizing as Bao. This game focuses solely on the full unrestrained, unadulterated, and arguably most beautiful version of Bao: Bao la Kiswahili (‘Bao of the Swahili people’).
Basics of the game: your goal is to rid your opponent’s front row of seeds, or to put your opponent in a position where they are unable to make any moves (stalemate). You do so by placing, sowing, and stealing seeds.
Bao is a boardgame in the mancala family of boardgames (games with seeds and pits).
There are many simple mancala type games out there but none of those are as mesmerizing as Bao. This game focuses solely on the full unrestrained, unadulterated, and arguably most beautiful version of Bao: Bao la Kiswahili (‘Bao of the Swahili people’).
Basics of the game: your goal is to rid your opponent’s front row of seeds, or to put your opponent in a position where they are unable to make any moves (stalemate). You do so by placing, sowing, and stealing seeds.
- BAO provides unparalleled diversity and complexity, not a single game is ever the same.
- The online game mode provides masters and novices alike with a platform to meet their match, test their skills, challenge friends and duel other BAO adversaries.
- Besides providing a comprehensive Tutorial, BAO keeps track of all of the different rules. You can’t accidentally mess up a move, making learning the game a blast.
- BAO gives you the option of super human seed sowing speeds, making tirelessly long moves a thing of the past.
- Don’t want to play online? BAO also provides a carefully crafted AI to test your skills before you head into the ring.
- The AI knows what move to make before you can say “Bao la Kiswahili”, couple that with the fast sowing, and even the lengthier games are usually no more than 20 minutes.
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
As a Tanzanian local who grew up playing this game I am glad that the game now has a good and accurate representation on Steam. The game has a lot more strategic options and variations than most mancala like games.13 found this helpful
Like chess, this game requires that the players think a few steps ahead; however, while chess has a few set of rules and a few kinds of pieces, Bao has only one kind of piece and a complex system of rules to govern them. In chess, you take time to set up your pieces. In Bao, you work through two different phases of the game, and watch your work chain react (the flow to this is hard to explain, but satisfying to experience). Those looking for a popular, simple game may find this hard to warm up to (that said, this game does come with a tutorial, and will highlight legal possible moves). Those looking for a fresh mental exercise, or perhaps wanting to learn about other cultures may be interested to give this a shot. The people working on this game are likely to add new things over time, like a French translation, and a possible hot seat mode. There is an online mode, but I wasn't able to find anyone there at the time (I do hope this game gets more popularity over time); if you are able to find someone, it is expected that your experience with online will differ from person to person. Parents will want to know that online communication with strangers is possible in the online mode. …4 found this helpful
Had a lot of fun playing this game. The design of the game looks really nice and the background music is great! Practice really makes perfect with this game, and I totally forgot the time sometimes because you really have to focus and strategize while playing. If you like chess or similair strategy games then I highly recommend to give Bao a try!4 found this helpful
Simple, easily usable software with a very good tutorial part. My only problem is thtat the tutorial is not reachable by parts. You have to click a lot to get a specific information.
The game looks good. Tutorial could be a bit more clear, but I think I can deduce the rules with more play. However, I don't understand how to play with my friend via the online game feature. So I can't recommend game in it's current state. And I can't find any help on the online feature.
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