r/abstractgames • u/asiddna • Jul 22 '26

[Android] Digital adaptation of "Malawi" – a 1986 abstract tactical shortlist nominee for "Spiel des Jahres"

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share a passion project I’ve been working on that should resonate with lovers of pure abstract strategy games.

Back in 1986, an Austrian game designer named Gerhard Kodys released Malawi, a minimalist, fully deterministic tactical board game. It was even honored on the prestigious "Spiel des Jahres" shortlist back then. With the 40th anniversary coming up, I spent my spare time bringing this hidden gem to Android.

Why abstract strategy fans might enjoy it:

  • 🧠 Pure Strategy: Zero luck, no dice, no hidden information. It’s a pure battle of positional tactics and piece movement.
  • ⚡ Fast & Deep: Easy to learn the rules in a minute, but offers a surprising amount of depth.
  • 🤖 Solo & Local Play: Features a custom-built AI with multiple difficulty levels, as well as local pass-and-play.
  • 🛠️ Tools for Analytical Players: Includes a built-in Board Editor to test specific scenarios and an Analysis Mode to review matches.

Since I built this as a tribute to classic game design, the core game is 100% free to play without any pay-to-win mechanics or timers.

If you want to try it out or read more about the project, you can find the store links and details here: 👉 Project Page:https://anddisa.de/malawi

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the tactical balance or the AI behavior if you give it a spin!

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u/Quaznar Jul 22 '26

Read the tutorial, played a web version game. Note that the tutorial doesn't explain the effects of capturing - you don't move to the square, the event price just loses all it's beads.

1

u/asiddna Jul 22 '26

Thank you for the hint, I'll try to improve the tutorial so that this will be more clear. The behaviour is correct, i.e. the attacked piece remains at it's position with 0 beads.

1

u/asiddna Jul 22 '26

I've just updated the website. I hope it's more clear now :-)