How does Hexodic differ from chess, Go, Hive, Tak, Onitama, and Santorini?
Hexodic is a two-player abstract strategy game played on a fixed 37-cell hexagonal board with a single stone type whose strength comes from the height of the cell beneath it. Hexodic differs from the games below mainly in that the board itself changes every turn: each turn includes raising or lowering one cell.
The table compares only facts that a publisher, governing body, or rules page states for each game; every row links its source in the list underneath. This page does not rank the games.
| Game | Players | Board | Pieces | Publisher-stated play time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hexodic | Two | 37-cell hexagonal board, cells at three height tiers | One stone type | About 5–6 minutes, estimated from simulated games |
| Chess | 2 (FIDE Laws) | 8×8 grid of 64 squares (FIDE Laws) | 16 per side at the start (FIDE Laws) | Not stated in the Laws |
| Go | 2 (British Go Association) | Normally 19 by 19 lines; 13 by 13 and 9 by 9 for quicker games (British Go Association) | Black and white stones | Not stated by the source |
| Hive | 2 (Gen42 Games) | No board: the pieces form the playing area (Gen42 Games) | 5 bug types (Gen42 Games) | 20 minutes (Gen42 Games) |
| Tak | Two (U.S. Tak Association rules) | Square boards from 4×4 to 8×8 (U.S. Tak Association) | Flat stones, standing stones, capstones | Not stated by the source |
| Onitama | 2 (Arcane Wonders) | Roll-up playmat | Pawns plus 16 move cards in the box; each player holds 2 (Arcane Wonders) | 15 minutes (Arcane Wonders) |
| Santorini | 2–4, best with 2 (Roxley Games) | Island board you build on | Workers, building blocks, God cards | 20 minutes (Roxley Games) |
What each comparison actually turns on
- Chess: Hexodic uses one stone type where chess uses several distinct pieces, and Hexodic’s board terrain changes during play while the chessboard does not. The full answer is on Hexodic vs chess.
- Go: Hexodic and Go both use a single kind of stone whose meaning comes from position. Hexodic’s board is 37 cells with height; the British Go Association gives 19 by 19 lines as the normal Go board. See Hexodic vs Go.
- Hive: Hexodic and Hive both use hexagonal adjacency. Hive’s publisher describes no board at all, while Hexodic’s board is fixed and reshaped. See Hexodic vs Hive.
- Tak: Tak’s rules describe square boards and three kinds of stone; Hexodic’s board is hexagonal and Hexodic has one stone type. The difference is short enough to live on this hub rather than a separate page.
- Onitama: Onitama’s publisher describes move cards that players hold and exchange; Hexodic has no cards, and every legal move follows from the board position alone.
- Santorini: Santorini’s publisher describes building on an island board, which makes Santorini the closest cousin to Hexodic’s height mechanic. Hexodic differs in that height is raised and lowered on a fixed 37-cell board and a stone’s strength comes from its cell tier.
Hexodic’s rules are explained on how it works, and the genre view is on the abstract strategy hub. How Hexodic’s bots are tested before they reach players is on the bot gauntlet.
Sources for facts about other games
Each source was read on 2026-09-15. Facts that no primary source confirmed were left out.
- Chess: FIDE, Laws of Chess, Handbook E.01 (players, board, pieces).
- Go: British Go Association, How to Play (players, board sizes).
- Hive: Gen42 Games, Hive product page (players, play time, no board, piece types).
- Tak: U.S. Tak Association, Play the Beautiful Game of Tak (board sizes, stone kinds).
- Onitama: Arcane Wonders, Onitama product page (players, play time, move cards).
- Santorini: Roxley Games, Santorini product page (players, play time, God cards).
Hexodic figures come from the Hexodic rules engine and the simulation evidence described on the bot gauntlet. Game names belong to their respective owners.
Reviewed 2026-09-15. Want to see the height mechanic for yourself? Get the Hexodic app.
Part of the Hexodic comparison hub, which links every side-by-side comparison on this site.