Compatible emulators

Synopsis

Igo: Kyuu Roban Taikyoku is the first real attempt to bring the Japanese board game Go to a home console, namely the Famicom. The game was designed by Henk Rogers, a Dutch programmer who would play games of Go against (then) Nintendo CEO Hiroshi Yamauchi. It was during one of these games that the prospect of developing such a title for the Famicom was discussed. It was later converted from disc to cartridge format and released in August 1987.

Before this game's release, Nintendo had released a game that was played on the Go board in 1983, known as Gomoku Narabe Renju, but the game mechanics were more like "Connect Four" (or five, so to speak). The real game of Go is traditionally played on a 19 x 19 grid, but the permutations of possibilities would take too much time for the Famicom's processor to consider, so the size of the map was greatly reduced to a 9 x 9 grid, allowing for a simpler single-player experience. The game also features a lesson mode, in which ninjas appear to teach the player the rules and strategy of the game.

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