Review of Ludo King – The most popular #lockdown game

When Mika Singh comes on TV asking his fans to download and play Ludo King we know a new kid has arrived. Smartphone games are usually not advertised this way. A classic board game that has all the right ingredients, lockdown, stayhome, family time & smartphone. Simple moves and bit of strategy competing with online players and social media friends for points and rewards.

Summary

What you will like
> Addictive and Simple to play game
> Play with friends and family
> Watch videos and spin the wheel for coins
> Raise levels through achievements and missions
> Enough juice to keep you hooked on

What you won’t like
> Does not run smoothly on old hardware
> Depending on your hardware specs, phone might get heated
> Battery drains faster
> Random crashes reported by users

History of Ludo game

Age old copycats, a British gentleman created the square dice and patented the game as Ludo in 1896. But this game was played in India for centuries. Emperor Akbar was reportedly addicted to the game. Pandavs put their wife Draupadi at stake in a Ludo game, that time called Chopad. Kauravs did plotted to deceive their cousins with a little cunning help from Shakuni. But there can be no denying the addiction of this game as Pandavs never realised when the crossed the point of no return. Drawings of the game are found in Ellora caves too. In ancient India, the game is called Pachisi. Along with snake and ladders, Ludo was very popular as a board game played outdoors as a timepass with lots of oohs and aahs and back-pats.

Rules of the game

Ludo can be played by a maximum of four player. Each player gets a colour slot with all pins in house. Player needs a roll of dice to show 6 to get one pin out. The pin has to cover the path of the board to reach the center which is destination. Along the way, if one pin lands on other players pin, that pin goes back to home. There are 8 safe spots where two or more pins can coexist without trouble. First player who reaches all four pins in the center wins.

The game screen is dominated by the board which is square. Avatar of the player is given below along with the chat balloon, below which is points and turn indicator of each player and the common dice in center. Total four players can play at a time with the common dice.

How to download

Ludo King is available in both Andorid and iOS version. It has been developed by Vikash Jaiswal, founder of Gametion Technologies. Ludo King was launched in 2016 and quickly reached the top of popularity list. But it is not till recent lockdown that game popularity literally hit the roof. Here is the link to the official website.

Game Play of Ludo King

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Post the splash screen you get the language selection.

You can customise your avatar and game name. Login with FB is cool. It allows you to play with friends and post your achievements to FB timeline.

Bored of the regular looking board, you can change the looks by using themes. But you have to either pay for it or play a mission to win those cool themes.

There are two choices of the game, Classic and Popular. By default the Classic option is selected. In Popular game there are a feature that you can spend diamonds and replay the dice throw. This is a far cry from real game where you cannot roll the dice again. Also the stakes are more in terms of coins. So if you win, you get a big score and same for a loss.

This screen shows you the options like colour selection, choice between two or four players and how much coins you want to place a bet on winning.

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Win gives you coins, gifts and experience points. Loss gets you some setback.

You can gain additional coins by watching a video or spinning the lucky Wheel of coins. The longer you play, more coins you can accumulate.

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Experience gives you a Level Up and greater rewards. There is also a daily bonus.

How to plan your strategy for the game

Ludo board game is taught in management schools for team work, strategy and to make quick moves on your opponent. Here are some tips to play Ludo King game.

• Get as many coins as you can by taking the free wheel spins and watching videos.
• Have a mix plan between getting the other players pin and reaching your destination.
• Sit tight in safe spots but do not wait there for long.
• Winning is all about taking risks, so bet big.
• The more you play, the more coins you will accumulate.
• Many times you might win because your opponent has left the game.
• If you want to make purchases in market, make sure you get the best deal.
• Put your real profile picture to compete with real players.

Game issues

This is a graphics heavy game and it needs a strong data connection. Connect to WiFi for the best experience. The game does not run smoothly on older hardware and lower specs handsets. Your phone might get heated after prolonged play, so keep those covers off.

#stayhome #staysafe

Also read review of Dead Target.