Game for Two review: It’s exactly as the title suggests

The screenshots for this game gave me a good idea of what it was going to be about. And true to its name Game for Two really is a game for two — using one device.

Gameplay: Thought-provoking serenity

Game for Two is an Android game by Guava 7 Game Studio from Vietnam. The app is made up of six thinking games —Caro, Tiling, Co Ganh, Coloring, Othello, and Checkers – which are played (yes, you guessed it) against the AI or another person. The two player version uses just one device, with the players seated at either ends of the vertical screen.

Downloading the game is free, but only Caro and Tiling are available without purchase. Caro is a little like tic-tac-toe, where the idea is to form a series of five Os or Xs before your opponent does. Tiling, on the other hand, is like a one-on-one Tetris game crammed into one screen. You have to place different-shaped blocks to form more lines than your opponent.

The games are pretty easy to understand, but very challenging to play. Playing against the easy bots are, of course, easy, but there are also bots with higher difficulty levels in case you’re looking for more of a challenge. Personally, I don’t usually enjoy games like these so I felt it would be unfair if I gave it a bad review just because of that.

Figuring that this game would be appreciated more by its target audience, I asked a friend (who is interested in these kinds of games) play a game against me. True enough, he did enjoy the game. He found Game for Two challenging, and refreshing. According to him, it was something he would play on the bus, while waiting alone, or to get his mind off things for a while. For me, it became a little more fun when I played against a real person.

Game for Two certainly won’t give you the same fun as playing Fantasy Defense 2, Candy Crush or Angry Birds, but it does serve its purpose as a game if you enjoy that sort of thing.

Audio and Visuals: Simple, clean, and relaxing

Most puzzle games usually have upbeat or fun audio and visuals. I believe this is to prevent the game from getting boring. They also often include funky characters, shapes, or storylines to attract a wider audience or make it more appealing. However, Game for Two is different. Everything is clean and simple.

The audio here is my favorite. It has soothing acoustic background music which changes per game or screen. The sound effects are also very simple with just clicks and clacks. I like how it feels relaxing, because that helps my brain getting into a focused state of mind. There are also no unnecessary images. The screen is purely white with an easy-to-read font and shades of blue, green and red keep the overall interface from looking too dull.

The game wasn’t made to be fun and lively. It’s a game you play when you want to relax and have something to do while you’re at it. The game is not trying to attract an audience who needs to be entertained with colors, design, and music. Rather, it is made for players who would just like a simple game to keep themselves occupied without having to worry about things like power-ups, points, sharing stuff with friends, levels, and more. It’s ­simple. And in this case, simple is good.