As an abstract strategy board game, Hexster is similar to the game Quoridor created by Mirko Marchesi. Both games are for 8+, have the same basic setup involving players sitting around the board and trying to reach the opposite side, and are suitable for both children and families at the casual level and serious puzzle enthusiasts and abstract strategy gamers. However, Hexster is designed for a better game experience than Quoridor, allowing people to form bonds through playing rather than the individualistic approach Quoridor fosters.
By its very design, Hexster is a more interesting game than Quoridor. Both Quoridor and Hexster are played on grid-like boards, thus limiting the players within “the magic circle” (or rather polygon). However, Hexster is different from Quoridor and indeed from most other games in that it uses rhombus-shaped tiles on a triangular grid, giving players the flexibility to place tiles in different orientations. Combined with the differently shaped types of tunnels on the tiles, there is enormous flexibility in path construction. In contrast, Quoridor is far more limited, with players moving in at most four directions. Hexster also involves players more fully within its hamster narrative than Quoridor. With the exception of bomb tiles, Hexster players act just like normal hamsters, burrowing around, exploring the environment, and getting thrills of excitement from food pieces, while Quoridor players feel little emotional connection towards their pawns. By having an unusual mechanic of rhombus tiles, a wide range of player dynamics, and cute hamster aesthetics, Hexster appeals to people far more than Quoridor. The dynamics of Quoridor are subtractive in that pawns are increasingly blocked by walls as the game progresses, while gameplay in Hexster is additive in that players place tunnel tiles to form paths for their hamster meeples. Furthermore, the directions in which Hexster teams build paths across the hexagonal board overlap, so even rivals can benefit from each others’ tile placements, while the players in Quoridor place walls with the objective of increasing the cost to other players as much as possible. While Quoridor gameplay frustrates players due to their loss aversion, Hexster uses unanticipated gains to create positive emotions, taking advantage of human psychology to design better game experiences.
Competition is not as strong in Hexster as in Quoridor, and instead players can focus more attention on their fellow players, especially their teammates. While the outcome of Quoridor reflects player skill and is determined solely by player tactics, Hexster’s outcome is non-deterministic as players randomly draw tiles out of a bag. Therefore, by containing an element of luck, Hexster lessens the skill gap between players, giving worse players the opportunity to still have fun instead of being crushed by better players. More important than individual skill is how teammates coordinate their actions to achieve their goal of meeting up, so simultaneous play forces them to connect with each other emotionally and psychologically. Since gameplay in Hexster is localized to the areas around each player’s hamster meeple, it is generally more relaxed, while Quoridor players have to be constantly be vigilant for attacks and devise countermoves because the walls can be placed anywhere on the board. During the hamster fights in Hexster, rival players “sit” on each other instead of having direct confrontations, further lessening the aspect of confrontation with this cute and childish action. By fostering predictive cooperation and lessening inter-player rivalries, Hexster encourages players to engage with each other socially as well as strategically.
