Black & White in Balance

Black & White in Balance is a puzzle game inspired by Go.

On a board filled with black and white stones, guide your companions and move the stones to make the number of territories controlled by black and white equal.

This is not a recreation of Go.

While retaining elements of Go such as black and white, the board, and territory, the game introduces its own rules to create a puzzle that anyone can enjoy, even without knowing how to play Go.

Move the Stones and Seek Balance

Your companions move across the board along a grid.

Stones are primarily moved by pushing them.

Which stone should you move?

Which direction should you push it?

And in what order?

Consider the placement and connections between stones as you change the board one move at a time.

Each stage has a limited number of stone moves.

Each time you move a stone, one move is consumed.

However, just as in Go, when you surround and capture your opponent's stones, the number of moves you can make increases by the number of stones captured.

Capturing stones is not only a way to change the board—it can also give you more moves for your next actions.

Look across the board, make the most of your limited moves, and create a balance between black and white.

Simple Rules, Changing Boards

The controls are simple.

However, the placement of the stones can also change the routes your companions can take.

Which stone should you move to open the way forward?

Moving a stone may create a new route, or it may make a path that was previously accessible unreachable.

Think not only about your next move, but also about where it will allow you to move afterward, and find the best solution.

As you progress through the stages, new abilities are introduced.

Destroy stones.
Pull stones.
Change their color, and more.

By making use of these special abilities, you can tackle puzzles that cannot be solved through normal movement alone.

A Puzzle You Can Pick Up and Play

Each stage is designed to be completed one puzzle at a time in a short play session.

You can casually move on to the next stage, or take your time studying the board to find the best solution.

Undo / Redo lets you experiment freely with your moves.

And when you are stuck, a Hint feature is available.

The completed board can be displayed faintly, giving you a clue while still leaving you to work out the solution yourself.

A World That Gradually Unfolds

As you solve puzzles, short story sequences appear, gradually revealing the world and its story.

Black and white.

Two colors of stones placed upon a board.

Even within what appears to be a simple world, countless connections and landscapes emerge.

As you watch over the world as a being tasked with maintaining the balance between black and white, the way you see that world gradually begins to change.

Destruction and renewal.

Memories and their lingering echoes.

And another view of the same world, revealed when seen from a different perspective.

A quiet, fantastical story where your perspective gradually begins to change.

Another World Born from Go

Black & White in Balance was born from inspiration drawn from Go.

While retaining elements of Go such as black and white, the board, and territory, the game combines them with its own rules and story.

Even if you have never played Go, we hope this game gives you a chance to experience another world on the board, woven from black and white.

And perhaps, one day, it may spark your interest in Go itself.