Istanbul, Turkey – Adikus today is pleased to announce Barbu 1.0.1 for iOS, their fun seven-in-one, trick-taking card Game for one player. In the style of bridge or hearts, Barbu differs from most other card games in that each four-player hand has different rules. A complete game consists of 28 hands. During each of the player’s seven deals he or she may choose one of the seven sets of rules, or contracts, available for that hand. The objective of the game is to achieve the highest total score out of the four players. Featuring an advanced AI gameplay engine and luxurious casino card tables and cards, Barbu for iOS is a Universal app and displays HD graphics on all iDevices.
The Seven Contracts:
* No Tricks (also known as Misere or Nullo)
* No Hearts
* No Queens
* No King of Hearts (Barbu)
* No Last Two
* Trumps
* Dominoes or Fan Tan
According to Wikipedia, “Barbu or Le Barbu, also known as Tafferan, is a trick-taking card game similar to hearts where four players take turns leading seven different sub-games (known as contracts) over the course of 28 deals. Barbu originated in France in the early 20th century where it was especially popular with university students, and became a prominent game among French Bridge-players in the 1960s. ‘Le Barbu’ literally means ‘The Bearded’ (man), and phonetically ‘The Barb’ a reference to the King of Hearts’ common depiction as a bearded monarch nonchalantly stabbing himself in the head. This card is of special significance in one of the seven contracts featured in the game.”
Feature Highlights:
* The game is an Universal application (iPhone, iPod and iPad)
* Excellent graphics, animation, sound effects
* On iPad both device orientations are supported
* Nice music with French motives
* Integrated sharing the results on Twitter; message includes information about place, points and screenshot of the resulting score table
* English and French localizations
Barbu uses a 52-card pack, ranking from highest to lowest A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 in each of the four suits. The game is played by four players, with three hands played automatically by the iDevice. The card deck is randomly dealt and each player receives 13 cards. The entire game is played in clockwise order. Over the course of 28 hands, the player must declare each one of the seven contracts (five negative and two positive).
In negative contracts, there is no trump. The player who has played the card with the highest value and Trick Suit wins the trick. A player who cannot follow suit must discard a penalty card if they have any, or any other card card if they do not. Trumps and Dominoes are the only two positive contracts.
The game allows the player to input any four names, which are the players seated at the four sides of the table. Barbu automatically keeps track of each of the seven contracts for all four players in a Score Table. The speed of the animated gameplay is adjustable, and cards slide to the middle of the table, overlapping each other perfectly to allow the player to identify all four cards played. Following a trick, cards automatically go to the winner. The player’s hand is arranged in two curved rows, by suit and highest card.
“Try Barbu, where the rules for each hand are always changing,” stated Adalat Nasibov of Adikus. “This is one trick-taking card game that never, ever gets boring.”
Language Support:
U.S. English and French
Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
* Requires iOS 5.0 or later
* Universal app optimized for display on all iOS devices
* 20.0 MB
Pricing and Availability:
Barbu 1.0.1 is $0.99 (USD) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category. Review copies are available on request.
Adikus
Barbu 1.0.1
Purchase and Download
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Based in Istanbul, Turkey, Adikus was founded by Adalat Nasibov in 2007. Adikus is known as a developer of the first ever Backgammon and Pool games for the iPhone. These games were available worldwide much before the App Store opened. Most games developed are board or card games. Copyright (C) 2012 Adikus. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks and registered trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.
