Summary of Kiou's Features!!
In this article, I would like to summarize the functions and features of the Shogi online playing site, Kiou.
What Makes It Special?
If you ask me what makes it special, the answer is that every single aspect of it is excellent. The quality of a Shogi website is generally determined by two main factors: ease of matching and the overall polish of the game. Kiou excels in both of these areas.
There are many other detailed good points, which ultimately makes it highly recommended. In this article, I will explain those aspects in detail.
Features of Kiou
Pros
- Free to play as much as you want
- The entire site layout is beautiful
- Easy to play matches
- Fast matchmaking
- Excellent game analysis (Kifu analysis) feature
- Supports both PC and smartphones
Cons
・Bishojo (anime-style beautiful girls) game graphics
I feel like these are the main characteristics. It feels as if they have gathered everything you could possibly want in a Shogi website. However, a bulleted list might not give you a clear picture, so I will explain these points in detail below.
Feature 1: The Screen is Beautiful!!
The match screen looks like this. The overall design is clean, giving the impression that the entire screen is well-organized. Even outside of the match screen, the design is incredibly beautiful. To be honest, this point alone makes it highly rated.
I used to think naively, "Does a Shogi website really need good design?" But actually trying it out made me realize how important it really is. It was absolutely wonderful.
Feature 2: Free to Play as Much as You Want!! Comfortable Matches!!
Playing matches is free. No matter how much you play, it's free. It makes you wonder if the game site will be financially okay, but it is free. Amazing. Moreover, the core game experience is very smooth. Matchmaking is fast, and there is nothing but good things to say about it as a playing site.
My impression of it as a match-making and Shogi game site is that it's so outstanding that there's practically nothing to criticize. Highly recommended.
Feature 3: Excellent Game Analysis Feature
Personally, this is the feature I found most impressive. For about the past five years in the Shogi world, reviewing games using AI has been a huge trend. However, this AI analysis can be quite tricky because you usually have to download various things to get it to work. For beginners or lower-ranked players, setting it up can be a grueling process (it might take about two hours if you are not good with PCs).
However, on Kiou, you can perform AI game reviews immediately after a match. You can do it without any difficult configurations. Plus, it has the added bonus of being incredibly easy to use. You can easily enjoy a nearly perfect AI analysis. The price is also cheap at 600 yen per month, so I personally recommend it. In fact, I think this feature is the best, and I'm even considering paying for it myself. It really is outstanding.
Cons
The only downside might be the Bishojo game art style. It might be a bit hard to recommend to female players. Even so, I would still end up recommending this site. It is just that excellent.
If I had to nitpick, there are things like Tsume-shogi (Shogi puzzles) being marked incorrect even if you find an alternative correct solution. However, things like that will probably be fixed soon, so besides the art style, I have no complaints.
Conclusion: Nearly Perfect, You Should at Least Try It Once!!
It is an almost perfect game website. If I had to point out a flaw, it would just be the Bishojo game style. However, its excellence as a playing site more than makes up for that weakness. Even if you are a bit bothered by the art style, it is definitely worth trying at least once.
If you have no resistance to the art style, Kiou is pretty much your only choice. It's not that other sites are bad, but Kiou is so well-made that it makes you feel that way.
So, since I highly recommend it personally, why not try it out for yourself for now?