Morocco - ★★★★✩ (iTMS) vs. Othello - ★★★✩✩ (iTMS)

A Tumblr user turned me onto this game about a week ago and I’ve been hooked. I’ve played both Morocco and Othello, two different apps, same game.

The two apps are very similar but there are some small differences that make Morocco stand out over Othello. The feature that stands out the most is Morocco’s multiplayer. Morocco has the option to play against the computer (as white or black) or against a friend. No Wi-Fi/3G or over-the-air is supported, however. Othello, sadly, is missing  multiplayer (though it could and will probably come in a future update). Also, Morocco has no sound or annoying pop-up alerts like the ones that come with Othello. Though you can turn Othello or the iPhone’s sound off to escape the worthless clicking noises that come from when you make a move, if you touch the wrong place on the screen Othello will bring up an alert box imposes on the game being played.

Both games feature three difficulty settings but only Morocco will save your game in the middle if you get a phone call, text message, or just decide to press the Home button. If you get interrupted in the middle of Othello be prepared to lose your game. Both games feature a steep learning curve as well, even on easy, if you’re a novice player.

Morocco allows the human player to be either black or white while Othello only allows a player to be black. Changing color adds a different dynamic to the game and allows for the player to experience offense or defense.

Othello has a few features that I liked that were absent in Morocco such as Hints, Undo, and Skip. Occasionally you’ll hit a point in the game where you have no moves and you’ll have to skip a turn. Morocco auto-skips these turns whereas in Othello you physically have to push a button on the screen to skip your turn. It creates a more genuine feel when playing the game. Lastly, Othello is better looking, with a sleeker finish and a Chinese/English touch on all of the text.

Again, both apps are free so feel free to download and test them both out to see which one you like better. However in our first App Faceoff, my download goes to Morocco. ~~Zack Shapiro

Sounds to me like Othello is a complete failure as an iPhone app, while Morocco is pretty nice. Don’t be too kind, Zack! Any iPhone app that does not save your game/state when the phone rings deserves to go in the trash, no second chance. ~~nevyn