Stratego arrives on browser, Facebook, and iPad

Stratego is a bona fide board game classic. But despite its enduring popularity, it’s somehow never made the leap over to browser/mobile (at least not an official licensed version). As the headline of this article surely reveals, that’s now changed! An official version of Stratego has arrived on Facebook, iOS, and the aptly-named stratego.com. We’ve had a chance to play it, and fans of the board game version have plenty to be excited about.

By
Share this
  • Share this on Facebook
  • Share this on Twitter

Stratego is a bona fide board game classic. But despite its enduring popularity, it’s somehow never made the leap over to browser/mobile (at least not an official licensed version). As the headline of this article surely reveals, that’s now changed! An official version of Stratego has arrived on Facebook, iOS, and the aptly-named stratego.com. We’ve had a chance to play it, and fans of the board game version have plenty to be excited about.

Having just spoken with a reputable psychic, I have a pretty solid idea of what you’re all wondering: is the digital version anything like the original? It absolutely is, and in fact developer Keesing Games made a concerted effort to create as faithful an adaptation as possible. There are some nifty bells and whistles that utilize the game’s new digital home—power-ups, varying modes, themes, etc.—but by and large those familiar with the classic game ought to be pretty happy with this version.

But I’m getting a tad ahead of myself, aren’t I? How about a quick gameplay synopsis? In Stratego, players go head-to-head in a turn-based battle to either capture the opponent’s flag or force them to surrender. Each piece in the game has a power level, and when two pieces land on the same tile, the weakest piece is booted from the board. There are all sorts of intricacies within that core premise, but that’s the game in a nutshell.

news

The digital version features cross-platform play between the iPad, Facebook, and browser versions. Customizable rounds complement this versatility: you can play a quick 10-piece match, or go big with a 40-piece match. And because war is no fun without friends by your side, you can also form factions with friends.

We played a match late last week, and despite being in the beta phase, didn’t experience a single hiccup or error. It has all the trimmings of a solid adaptation, and fans of strategy games will definitely want to give this one a look. It should be noted, however, that the iOS version is currently only available for iPad. An iPhone version isn’t out of the question, though.