Dominate: Board Game

Dominate: Board Game is an abstract strategy game for two players on an 8×8 grid, where the goal is to achieve the majority of pieces by converting your opponent’s pieces. Players take turns moving or jumping their pieces to capture adjacent enemy pieces, with the game ending when the board is full or a player cannot move, declaring the majority holder as the winner.

Dominate: Board Game: A Digital Chess of Conquest

Introduction

In an era saturated with hyper-realistic graphics and sprawling open worlds, Dominate: Board Game emerges as a quiet testament to the timeless appeal of abstract strategy. Rooted in the mechanics of early 90s arcade classics like Ataxx, this minimalist digital adaptation strips gameplay to its essence—a battle for territorial supremacy on an 8×8 grid. Developed by eSolutions Nordic AB and released across mobile platforms in 2019 before expanding to consoles and PC, Dominate offers a pure, unadorned experience where every move is a calculated gambit. Yet, its brilliance is tempered by a stark visual and narrative simplicity. This review argues that while Dominate impeccably executes its core strategic loop, its lack of thematic depth and artistic ambition relegates it to a niche classic rather than a genre-defining masterpiece.

Development History & Context

eSolutions Nordic AB, a Swedish developer with a portfolio of digital board games, conceived Dominate as a tribute to the abstract strategy boom of the 1990s. Inspired by arcade staples such as Boogers and Frog Cloning, the team sought to distill the addictive “convert-or-be-converted” mechanics of these titles into a modern, accessible format. The choice of the Unity engine was pivotal, enabling seamless multi-platform deployment—starting with iOS/iPad (August 2019) and Android (2020), followed by Nintendo Switch (July 2020), and finally PC (via Steam, September 2022). This approach capitalized on the burgeoning market for casual strategy games on mobile, where players sought quick, intellectual challenges during commutes or downtime. However, the game’s development was constrained by its “freemium” origins on mobile, prioritizing functional purity over creative embellishment. This minimalist ethos, while effective, would later limit its appeal on platforms where players expected richer production values.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Dominate eschews traditional narrative entirely, presenting a conflict devoid of backstory, characters, or dialogue. The game’s “story” is implicit: two factions (visually represented as red and blue counters) vie for dominance through territorial conversion. This abstraction evokes themes of epidemic spread, ideological conquest, and biological warfare—echoing its inspiration, Ataxx, which framed similar mechanics as demonic possession. The absence of narrative context, however, is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it emphasizes universal strategic conflict. On the other, it robs the game of emotional weight. The arcade mode’s “boss levels” (offering double points for total domination) hint at escalating stakes, but without context, these remain empty gestures. The game’s UI communicates only functional data (“Move,” “Jump,” “Captured!”), reinforcing its sterile, utilitarian approach. For players seeking thematic immersion, this austerity is a flaw; for purists of abstract strategy, it is a virtue.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

At its core, Dominate is a masterclass in elegant simplicity. The rules are deceptively straightforward:
– Movement: Players select a piece and move it one space in any direction (cloning the piece) or two spaces orthogonally (moving the piece).
– Capture: Any adjacent enemy pieces are converted upon occupying a new space.
– Victory: The game ends when the board is full or a player cannot move, with victory determined by majority control.

These mechanics create a tense, high-stakes loop where every action is a trade-off between aggression and defense. The “jump” mechanic, in particular, introduces strategic depth—allowing players to bypass obstacles (blocks on certain squares) but leaving the origin point vulnerable. The arcade mode’s AI scales progressively, becoming ruthlessly efficient at cornering opponents, while local multiplayer thrives on the tension of shared-screen tactics. The touch-screen interface (on mobile/Switch) is flawlessly intuitive, though the PC version’s reliance on mouse clicks feels less organic. Critically, the game’s scoring system rewards domination with bonus points (100 for standard wins, 200 for boss levels), incentivizing aggressive play over conservative strategies. Yet, the lack of board customization or variable rule sets limits long-term replayability.

World-Building, Art & Sound

Dominate’s visual design is aggressively minimalist—a blank 8×8 grid with red and blue counters. This austerity mirrors its gameplay philosophy but fails to leverage the medium’s potential for atmosphere. The absence of thematic art assets (e.g., Ataxx’s demonic sprites or Hexxagon’s alien landscapes) makes the game feel generic. Even the “blocks” on certain squares are indistinct gray squares, offering no visual narrative. The sound design follows suit: sparse, tense piano chords underscore matches, but the music’s generic urgency clashes with the game’s cerebral pace. Sound effects are functional—a click for moves, a chime for captures—but lack personality. While this visual and aural restraint prevents distraction, it also squanders opportunities to elevate the experience. In a genre where theming can transform mechanics into storytelling (e.g., Infection’s virus theme), Dominate’s plainness is both its greatest strength (focus) and its greatest weakness (missed potential).

Reception & Legacy

Upon release, Dominate garnered modest praise for its polished mechanics. On mobile, its freemium model ensured broad accessibility, though it struggled to stand out in a crowded market. The Switch and Steam ports (priced at $5.99) divided audiences:
– Player Reviews: Steambase aggregated a 75/100 score based on 8 reviews, lauding its “deep strategy” but criticizing its “plain visuals.” One Steam user noted, “The gameplay is solid, but it’s like playing chess with bottle caps.”
– Commercial Performance: Steam Spy estimates 50,000–100,000 owners, reflecting niche appeal. Its bundled release with Hexxagon and Infection likely drove sales but diluted its distinctiveness.

Critically, Dominate is overshadowed by its inspiration, Ataxx, which remains the gold standard for this genre due to its charismatic art. Nevertheless, it left a subtle legacy: its portability and touch controls influenced mobile strategy games, while its pure rule set is cited in indie dev circles as a blueprint for “unembellished design.” For historians, it exemplifies the 2010s trend of digitizing abstract board games—a bridge between physical and digital strategy.

Conclusion

Dominate: Board Game is a paradox: a technically flawless execution of a classic formula held back by an unyielding commitment to minimalism. Its gameplay loop—move, convert, dominate—is a testament to the enduring power of abstract strategy, offering cerebral satisfaction in digestible bursts. Yet, its sterile presentation and lack of thematic identity prevent it from transcending its niche. For players seeking a pure, no-frills tactical challenge, it is a hidden gem. For those craving narrative or artistry, it will feel hollow. In the annals of video game history, Dominate will be remembered not as an innovator, but as a faithful, if unadorned, custodian of a forgotten arcade legacy. It is the digital equivalent of a well-made chess set: functional, elegant, and ultimately, what you make of it.

Final Verdict: A commendable but unremarkable strategy title that excels in execution but falters in ambition. Recommended for purists; skip if you seek more than the cold calculus of conquest.