Othello

About

Othello is a single player and multiplayer casual strategy game. It was developed by BlueLine Games and was released on March 19, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Othello" is a strategy game available on PC, Mac, and Linux, which offers local and online multiplayer modes. Players can challenge the world-class "Zebra" AI with five difficulty levels or engage in hot-seat/pass-n-play mode on a single computer. The game features asynchronous play, 3D and 2D graphics modes, full controller support, and Elo Ratings for online games, with Steam Leaderboard ranking and Trading Cards.

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73%

Audience ScoreBased on 55 reviews

gameplay3 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Othello is a classic board game that offers a simple yet challenging gameplay experience, making it accessible for beginners while still providing depth for experienced players.
The AI is well-designed and offers a strong challenge, especially at higher difficulty levels, making solo play engaging.
The game successfully captures the nostalgia of traditional board games with its straightforward interface and mechanics, allowing for enjoyable local and online multiplayer experiences.

The online multiplayer community is nearly non-existent, limiting the ability to play against others, and the game has been reported to crash frequently on various platforms.
Essential features like saving games, an undo function, and move analysis are missing, which detracts from the overall experience and depth expected from a strategy game.
The game has been criticized for its lack of polish, including an unattractive UI, annoying sound effects, and bugs that can disrupt gameplay.

gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The gameplay of the Othello Steam game is praised for its nostalgic simplicity and accessible design, evoking a sense of wonder reminiscent of classic board games. While the foundational mechanics are straightforward, the game presents a significant challenge through complex strategies and predictions, particularly in matches against live players or well-balanced bots. However, the current player base is limited, making local co-op the primary option for multiplayer experiences.
- “The visual design, font, pop-up windows, and gameplay repeal the oppressive noise of modern gaming and harken back to a time when wonder was simple enough, allowing us to take a breath and enjoy what we're interfacing with.”
- “Othello is a classic board game, and this Steam game with the same name manages to bring back the old school nostalgia without hampering the gameplay.”
- “The main advantages of the game are its accessible design, great bot balance, and, of course, gameplay with live players, although the game is currently small and not many people play it, so local co-op is left.”
- “If not, the gameplay is simple.”
- “And that's it in a nutshell, the foundation of the gameplay is trivial, but the game itself is already nastily difficult; the complexity of moves, prediction, and analysis is at a cosmic level.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The graphics are generally considered passable, with some players noting that they are crisp and clear, contributing to a fluid gameplay experience. While the visuals are appreciated, there is a sentiment that they lack depth and personalization options, suggesting room for improvement. Overall, the graphics do not significantly impact the enjoyment of the game.
- “The graphics are very nice, and it's easy to learn and play this game.”
- “Game is fluid, graphics are crisp and clear, and AI is very good.”
- “Although I enjoyed playing this game, the UI and graphics, along with minimal personalization options, leave a desire for more.”
- “The graphics are very passable.”
- “For this kind of game, the graphics don't make much impact at all.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate its quality and find it enhances the experience, others find the background music annoying and wish for more options. Overall, the music plays a significant role in the game's atmosphere, despite some dissatisfaction.
- “The music is great, so that certainly makes it more pleasant.”
- “For this kind of game, the music is what truly stands out.”
- “The background music is annoying with no other options.”
- “For this kind of game, the music and graphics don't make much impact at all.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express frustration with the grinding aspect of the game, particularly regarding the tedious process of farming cards, leading some to consider uninstalling.
- “Farming cards is a tedious chore, I'm uninstalling.”
- “The grinding feels endless and unfulfilling.”
- “I can't believe how much time I wasted on this repetitive grind.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has significant stability issues on Mac, with frequent bugs causing the AI's turn to be skipped unexpectedly. Overall, players report a frustrating experience due to these persistent glitches.
- “The game itself is really buggy on the Mac, very often skipping the AI's turn for no reason.”
- “Very buggy.”