Xiotex Releases Koan 1.1

Xiotex has released Koan 1.1 for the iPhone OS, a board game of strategy and survival. The Zen koan is a simple statement beyond the intellect, apprehended only through intuition. And Koan is a board game with simple rules, where the player soon discovers that moves based on logic may not result in as many points as those that "feel" right. The playing board is a 5x5 grid of Go-like stones which can assume any one of 5 different colors, affecting scoring and time allotted for moves.

The game begins with a single green stone or bead, representing the player, in the center of the 5x5 arrangement of white beads on the board. The green bead displays a number, indicating the time allowed before the player must move, or else the game ends with his current score. The player moves by touching any white bead adjacent to himself, green. The bead touched turns green and starts counting down the time remaining to make the next move. Simultaneously, the formerly green bead changes color. Players can move to any adjacent bead, with the exception of beads which are black.

Feature Highlights:
* Board game of strategy and survival
* Explores the relationship between intellect and intuition
* The longer a player can survive, the more points he can accrue
* The faster a player moves, the more points for each move
* The slower a player moves, the slower the move timer counts down
* Power Moves that the player can use to gain bonus points
* Contemplative Zen graphics and music


A unique aspect of the game is that units of time are not fixed. If the player moves slower, the move timer slows. If the player moves faster, the move timer speeds up. The faster the timer is moving, the more points the player receives. Players can move onto adjacent beads of any color except black. Moving onto a white bead adds points, gold adds bonus points, red reduces the time to move, blue restores the time to move to normal, and purple reverses the color of all the white and black beads on the board. Gameplay is accompanied by music that contributes to the Zen motif, and results are automatically recorded on a global scoreboard. Koan 1.1 introduces Power Moves. By moving across the board in certain patterns enormous bonus points can be gained. There are 17 Power Moves to be found.

"I've been a professional game developer for a long time, and I've always wanted to see a game where the relationship between tactics and strategy, intellect and intuition, played a major part," commented Xiotex CEO Byron Atkinson-Jones. "I think I've accomplished that with Koan 1.1."

Pricing and Availability:
Koan 1.0 for the iPhone or iPod touch is only $.99 (USD) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Game category. Review copies are available upon request.

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