uncertainty · the first pondar game
outwit what
you can't see
a strategy board game in augmented reality. your opponent sees your stones, but never who they are.
free on iphone · friends can join without installing
how a game goes
every stone is a secret
before the game, you secretly give each of your stones a character. from then on, the only way to learn what you're up against is to fight it.
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01
set up in secret
arrange your characters however you like. your opponent sees every stone, but not who's on it.
-
02
move one stone a turn
each turn, move one stone and attack if you like. every character moves and fights differently.
-
03
strike the unknown
attack a hidden stone to find out what it is. if your attack beats or matches its defense, it's captured.
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04
both stones are revealed
every attack shows both players who fought. capture your opponent's king to win.
the rules in a minute
moving
stones move 1 or 2 squares in any direction, diagonals too. the mine never moves at all.
attacking
only the attacker deals damage: if its attack is at least the defender's defense, the defender is captured.
water & lava
only flyers and water walkers can stop on water, and only lava walkers on lava. jumpers and flyers cross both.
stacking
some stones climb on top of others, and some carry friends as they move. stacks go up to 4 high.
abilities
flying, ranged attacks, first strike, explosions, cloaks: every character bends the rules in its own way.
winning
the first player to capture the other's king wins. so keep yours hidden, and guarded.
augmented reality
a board on any table
tap a table and the board appears at the pieces' real size: every stone is a 5.5 cm block on its own square. walk around it, pinch to resize it, twist to turn it, or drag an empty square to slide it across the table.
no table handy? the 3d viewer plays anywhere. drag to orbit, pinch to zoom.
- real-size pieces you can walk around
- switch between ar and 3d at any time
- every move animates, every battle plays out
play with friends
across a table or across the world
sit down together with one phone each, or play a turn whenever you have a minute.
invite with a code
"invite opponent" shows a big qr code. your friend scans it from across the table, or you send them the link.
no download to join
friends without pondar open your invite in its app clip and play right away, then get the full app when they like.
your turn, on your time
pondar tells you when it's your move, and your games catch up whenever you open them.
recap videos
turn any game into a video: every turn replayed while the camera circles the board, ready to share.
interactive replay
play a finished game back on the board itself, scrub through the turns and change the speed.
practice games
play both sides on one phone to learn the characters and try out ideas before your next real game.
characters
every stone fights differently
17 characters, each with its own speed, attack, defense and abilities. stronger characters cost more of your character points, so every army is a trade off. tap one to see what it does.
maps
over 200 maps, two board sizes
plain, water, lava and fire & ice maps, each in blitz (3 × 7) for a quick game or classic (5 × 9) for a long one. or paint your own board with the custom map builder.
- ground
- water
- lava
- empty
free to play
start free, unlock more
uncertainty is free to play. the full game is a single purchase, and two characters are earned by playing.
uncertainty
free on the app store
- 9 characters: king, queen, knight, heir, jester, gorilla, pawn, mine and mine cart
- every plain and water map, in blitz and classic sizes
- custom maps with water and empty squares
- ar and 3d, recap videos and replays
the full game
one purchase, yours to keep
- 6 mercenaries: archer, falcon, wizard, serpent, lark and dragon
- lava and fire & ice maps, and custom maps with lava
- 5 accent colors for your stones: gold, purple, blue, red and green
- restore it on a new iphone with the same apple account
unlock by playing
no purchase needed
- the elephant: invite three friends who are new to pondar and finish a game with each of them
- the frog: unlocking it is a mystery
questions
does my friend need the app?
no. a friend without pondar can open your invite in the app clip and play right away, then get the full app whenever they like. their games come with them.
do we need to be in the same room?
no. play across a table or across the world: moves are sent through pondar, and you get a notification when it's your turn.
what do i need to play?
an iphone with ios 18 or later, and an apple account to sign in. pondar is iphone only for now.
how do i learn the rules?
"how to play" is on the new game screen, and every character has its own page: tap any character to see what it does. a practice game lets you play both sides on one phone.
how do i restore the full game?
sign in to the apple account you bought it with, tap the profile button on the home screen, then "restore purchases".
something's wrong, or i have an idea
email support@pondar.app or see the support page. if something went wrong in a game, tell us which game and what happened.