The objective of Hive is to surround the opponent’s queen bee while preventing your own queen from being captured. Whichever player accomplishes this task first has won the game. The game is made up of hexagonal tiles representing the contents of the hive. In total, Hive features 22 pieces, 11 per player, including 1 queen bee, 2 spiders, 2 beetles, 3 grasshoppers and 3 soldier ants - each having different methods of movement and abilities.Hive is suitable for players of all ages: it is quickly learnt but hard to master, and as levels are completed, others become unlocked. Interface elements clearly indicate where players may move or position pieces and the game can be enjoyed as a single-player experience featuring four levels of difficulty, including an introductory setting against an artificial opponent gently allowing beginners to become familiar with the rules of play, and a multi-player feature against another human opponent.
Hive can be played using no less than four distinct sets of tiles: A wooden tile-set with the official 2nd edition board game artwork, a plastic set with the official 3rd edition board game artwork, a tile-set designed by the developer Lotusland Studios, and finally a high contrast black and white Carbon set primarily designed for outdoor play. Players can set the play surface background color, with an optional hex grid to aid visualization.
The touch version of Hive clearly displays where each piece can move, making the different pieces easy to learn for beginners. Game options include tournament rules and the new Mosquito expansion to Hive: a parasitic new player piece that takes on the abilities of its neighbors, use your mosquito cleverly as an extra ant, beetle or spider!
Hive features a soundtrack by John Tennant, including “Depths” – “TypeCaste” and two exclusive remixes of “Project of Science” from the album “Early Ambient Works”.