Dynasty

About

Dynasty is a strategic tile-flipping game that plays like an early Othello clone. On the Odyssey 2, players battle to control an 8x8 grid by placing armies next to opponents, flipping captured pieces to their color. Two modes are available: standard play allows multi-directional captures while a stricter variant forces single-direction choices. Timers add pressure, letting you set up to 99 minutes per player or none at all. The grid fills until no moves remain or both sides pass, with victory going to whoever owns more squares. The game’s focus on corner positions and perimeter control reveals its depth. Directional Dynasty’s constraint on captures raises the challenge, rewarding careful planning. Released in 1979, it’s a surprisingly solid precursor to modern reversi mechanics. Players who love strategic simplicity with a layer of complexity might find it a hidden gem. Corners can’t be captured once claimed, making them critical for long-term dominance.

Storyline

Dynasty! is an Othello clone. The playfield is an 8 x 8 matrix of dots and the objective is to occupy as much of it as possible. The game begins with two pieces of each color at the center of the matrix and players take turns placing new pieces in it. The pieces must be placed near to an enemy piece, trapping it between another piece of the same color already placed. Trapped pieces will turn over to the conqueror's color. A variation is also present, called "Directional Dynasty": players cannot trap pieces in more than one direction with the same move. When a piece is placed in such condition, the player has to choose which direction will be used to capture the enemy's pieces. A timer can be set, from unlimited time to 99 minutes of gameplay. The game ends when there are no more possible moves or when the time runs up.