Go | Game Brain — video game discovery

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Go is a single player casual strategy game. It received positive reviews from players.

The beautiful oriental game. Strongest Go/Baduk on Google Play! 18 Kyu to 3 Dan

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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89%

Audience ScoreBased on 6,894 reviews

gameplay34 positive mentions

monetization290 negative mentions

Great for beginners, with a user-friendly interface and helpful features like the territory display.
The AI offers a good range of difficulty levels, making it suitable for both new and experienced players.
The app provides a smooth gameplay experience and allows for easy undoing of moves, which is beneficial for learning.

The 19x19 board is limited to 60 moves in the free version, which restricts gameplay.
The app's scoring system can be confusing, especially regarding territory and life/death situations.
There are intrusive ads that can disrupt gameplay, and some users report issues with the app crashing or misplacing stones.

monetization
297 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The monetization strategy of the game primarily relies on advertisements, which users report as varying in frequency and intrusiveness. While some players find the ads manageable and unobtrusive, many express frustration over long, unskippable ads that disrupt gameplay and lead to a poor user experience. There are calls for a paid version to remove ads, as the current implementation often feels excessive and detrimental to the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “No ads during the game is a big plus point.”
- “No ads, works well and consistently.”
- “Good interface and no ads.”
- “I used to love the app, but the addition of long inescapable ads that refuse to close even after their videos expire made it entirely unplayable.”
- “The game was okay for a while, but now the ads are entirely impossible to close without exiting your game and losing what you were doing.”
- “The ads make it completely unusable.”
gameplay
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
43%
5%
The gameplay is generally praised for its smoothness, variety of options, and intuitive mechanics, making it accessible for beginners while still offering challenges for experienced players. Users appreciate the detailed instructions, though some express a desire for a more comprehensive tutorial and clearer explanations of scoring. While ads are present, they are infrequent and do not disrupt the gameplay experience.
- “The AI is difficult but not unfair, and the territory mechanic makes it easier to visualize what you are doing and what your actions cause.”
- “Despite the often confusing mechanics of Go, this app makes it easy to keep track of territory and learn the ins and outs of this classic game.”
- “Gameplay is more than adequate for a novice.”
- “Rather than a tutorial, there are paragraphs listed in the 'how to play' portion of the main menu that tell the reader how to place a piece and some gameplay tips, leading to a button at the bottom of the page that guides you to an actual set of rules, which are also paragraphs long, that you must memorize in order to understand anything about the gameplay.”
- “They want us to buy the paid version by limiting the gameplay.”
- “Not clear on rules, handicaps, scoring and how to is nonsense... gameplay is efficient, especially if you have time to get settled with the game!”
graphics
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
28%
5%
Overall, the graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many users praising their aesthetic appeal and quality, while others note that they can be outdated or lacking in certain areas. Some players appreciate the clean and intuitive design, while others express a desire for improvements and customization options. Despite some criticisms, the graphics are generally considered a strong point of the app, contributing positively to the overall user experience.
- “However, the graphics are excellent and the moves of my opponent happen quickly and seem to be well placed.”
- “Clean graphics, superb AI, everything you could ever want in a go app!”
- “Beautiful game graphics and a decent AI make this a very entertaining and worthy app.”
- “The game itself is pretty nice, though the graphics are a bit outdated, and unskippable ads ruin the overall experience, forcing me to switch to another app.”
- “It is nice that it's completely free to play, but the graphics are really bad, and when placing a stone, it selects the space above the one that I touch.”
- “I would prefer if the app was updated graphically and had more of a material design feel.”
stability
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
9%
48%
Overall, user reviews on stability are mixed. While many players report a smooth experience with no glitches or freezing issues, some have encountered significant problems, such as the game freezing on startup or during play. The general consensus suggests that while the game can be enjoyable and stable for many, there are notable bugs that affect the experience for some users.
- “Really addictive and rewarding game, app is bug free and smooth with non-intrusive ads.”
- “So far no glitches, no cheating and it's fun.”
- “Fairly challenging, and best of all, no glitches.”
- “I can't tell if I'm really at a 15 kyu level or if the AI just has jarring moments of glitches.”
- “The game freezes upon startup.”
- “It says loading and during the screen transition it freezes.”
optimization
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
Overall, the game is praised for its smooth performance and intuitive interface, with users reporting minimal technical issues. While the optimization is generally considered flawless, some players suggest enhancements like a performance percentage feature to better track progress. The app is described as addictive and well-implemented, particularly for those learning the game.
- “This game runs smoothly, and is very addictive.”
- “Great app performance and challenge.”
- “It runs smoothly and is very intuitive to play.”
- “Just a suggestion, instead of win percentage, there should be a performance percentage for each match based on territory, pieces captured, etc. This would be useful when losing against the computer but still wanting to know your progress and ability improvement.”
- “Just learning this game, so I can't comment on algorithm performance or technical accuracy, options, etc., but from an application perspective, it's a good implementation.”
- “The app runs smoothly; it would be nice if you could play online, but other than that, it's flawless.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding it genuinely funny and entertaining, particularly for fans of the game Go. Many users highlight the game's ability to evoke laughter and enjoyment, making it a fun experience overall.
- “Nice game, so funny.”
- “It's really funny for Go fans.”
- “What's funny is I started playing chess and just happened to stumble upon this game, and it's every bit as fun as any game there is.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The music in the game has received praise for its quality, with many users finding it amazing. However, some players express frustration over the lack of a dedicated music option and the way ads lower the volume instead of pausing the music, leading to missed moments in their songs.
- “Music is amazing.”
- “The ads aren't intrusive, but they do turn my music down instead of pausing it, which I hate because then I miss some of my song.”
- “Could use a music option.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game somewhat tedious, particularly in tasks like placing stones, though some suggest turning off connectivity to avoid interruptions from ads. Overall, while the core mechanics are appreciated, the repetitive nature of certain actions can detract from the experience.
- “The grinding aspect feels a bit tedious, but you can just turn off connectivity to avoid ads.”
- “While the chess mechanics are solid, the process of placing stones becomes quite tedious.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users highlight the game's simple layout and aesthetic appeal, contributing to its high replayability, making it enjoyable to play repeatedly without losing interest.
- “The game features a simple layout that is aesthetically pleasing and offers endless replayability.”
- “Each playthrough feels fresh and engaging, making it a game I can return to time and time again.”
- “With multiple paths and choices, the replayability factor is off the charts!”
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews suggest that there may be concerns regarding the game's story, with some users feeling that it could be overshadowed by potential technical issues or suspicious background processes, leading to a lack of clarity in the narrative experience.