New Features
The design upgrade of the game and hardware is extensive. This section allows you to look a little more into the how and why of some aspects of the evolution. See also + More in top menu.
The Future is All Sorted
Four In a Row / Connect 4 is a fast and fun game but manually sorting tokens over and over and over really jars against the fun of playing the game. It's not only tedious but it also takes away up to about 20% or your valuable game time!
If only the tokens could just somehow sort themselves and return back to you in a flash of magic - imagine how satisfying would that be?
It's a game played by hundreds of millions of people - so, impossible as it may seem, sorting out that problem is actually a worthy engineering pursuit.
Design In The Groove
And in the style of The Martian we went to town on the re-design and engineering of every aspect of the hardware. TorKings is from a brighter and better future.
Our tokens not only sort themselves and return back to you, they are are also designed to be safer (porous in an airway), have optimised visual accessibility (to diversify gameplay options), have beautifully sculpted 3D iconic forms (aesthetics and style), they are wonderfully tactile, adapted to suit the visually impaired, they can spin in different ways (timers, selectors and for fun), they are precision manufactured and they are made from high quality material!
So Much More
TorKings makes wasting your game time manually sorting - a thing of the past. The auto-sorting is so satisfying and fun it's a real treat everyone looks forward to at the end of a game. You've arrived in a future of fun that's long overdue.
Quality, performance and inspiring design - so much more!
The grand-new board is here. It's quick and easy to big-up the game fun.
Insanely Obvious - Crazy Satisfying
The original aim of Four In a Row/ Connect Four was to be the first to chase a single alignment. And that makes sense on a small 6x7 board. But there has always been this nagging desire for the game to go on so you can see who could get the most alignments or even cross linked and multiple alignments! But on the 6x7 grid that potential is difficult to develop.
The insanely obvious solution in hindsight is to expand the board size so you can do just that!
The big surprise is just how much more dynamic, engaging and satisfying it is to continue the play! It’s more fluid, the game lasts longer and you can weave a much more diverse range of strategies into your game. While Four In a Row is a great game to kick off with, the new gameplay makes the original Four In a Row/ Connect 4 feel like Tic-Tac-Toe!
TorKings clever modular design allows you to easily connect to other TorKings board games - so you can dive straight into bigger and better gameplay options.
Magic - Expanding Horizons
When you join TorKings boards the larger board, including the latch is integrated into a single unit. Manually sorting though 42 tokens was a drag so sorting through over 120 tokens on a triple board is really not something to look forward to. However the new integrated design sorts and returns 42, 84 or 126 tokens in a literal flash - at the press of a single button!
Finally the dreamy promise of the large board format is realized without the drag of manually sorting a load more tokens. In fact now its the other way around - the more tokens you get to sort the more impressive and anticipated it is! It's the sort of magic that seriously never gets old!
Games unite people and now people can unite games
The magic of modular keeps giving as now its easy to add a player per side per added game unit – and dive into interactive cooperative team games! The cooperative game mode seriously dials up the action and interactive fun. It’s a combination of accessible gameplay, enhanced strategy and cooperative play that’s hard to beat.
Once you experience the real fun of modular – there's no going back. It’s the perfect design for sharing exciting new game options with friends and family. So bring your board, joint–it and big-up the fun!
New Dynamics From Interactive Play
TorKings flexible new hardware and gameplay opens a diverse range of new games and game options - from one-on-one competitive games to cooperative team games on single, double or triple boards - with up to 6 people.
With the new rules, each player in a team gets to place a token in their teams turn. It's cooperative team play and players get to discuss and negotiate their combined ideas for moves and longer term strategies. Everyone is in on the action and the game dynamics and interaction really escalate. Gameplay becomes a lot more fun, but with all the diversity of human exchange comes a wealth of development that is so important for Social IQ building and honing - for all ages.
The right kind of cooperative play can make growing skills, meaning, friends and minds - a load of fun!
Big On Benefits
Super Accessible
IDEAL SOCIAL IQ, STEM & TEAM BUILDING TOOL
Whether you are 6 or 60+, in the loungeroom, classroom or board room, team play is a meaningful and rewarding way to bring people together while everyone sharpens and builds Social IQ and communication skills. On top of that the new TorKings game options enhance the strategic dynamics and that means Enhanced STEM skills development too! With TorKings range of games there are game options to suit 2 to 6 players - ideal for family, friends and team builders.
TorKings tokens have been redesigned to sort themselves and return back to you - but that’s just the tip of a large redesign iceberg! Check out below how we have revolutionized the design of disk tokens to open up the gameplay diversity and dynamics while introducing iconic sculpted disk tokens to the world of board games.
A true breakthrough in design, function and performance - TorKings tokens are crisp inspiring forms that elevate your game experience in so many ways.
To enlarge view - right click on image and select the "Open image in new tab" option then go to new browser tab that is created.
Seeking Inspiration
The general commercial strategy in game boards is to go low-cost high-volume. That's a race to the bottom for the bottom line. Unfortunately quality follows down and so does your game experience. The initial bargain grin is so often replaced with the grim feeling of being cheated! Every time you play there is the reminder of an easily deteriorating flimsy build, gaudy colors, sub-par aesthetics, low quality materials and lacking performance. The game does not invite you and it's not something you are excited to share with other. We'd all prefer a game experience that entices and inspires - that avoids the fast track to landfill.
The Real Magic
James and Theory products are designed with a premium game journey in mind. We set a new high standard with breakthrough design features, a keen eye for aesthetics and the use of premium quality materials. Our products look fantastic, are a tactile treat and have functionality and performance that is second to none. In fact the most common phrase we here from users is “It’s magic!”
TorKings - Satisfying and rewarding Premium Quality Gameware
TorKings 2.4mm thick high quality game box.
Clean, crisp and detailed with cutting edge new features - industrial designer art with amazing performance.
We interact with the game through the tokens. How they look, feel and even sound defines the sensory side of our game experience. That ties in closely to how we create memories and associations of pleasure that have real lasting meaning. That’s not something we’d like anyone to miss out on.
Here’s a few token considerations that make more sense:
Visual Definition
We developed the token material to have a very fine matt surface texture that’s ideal for defining and highlighting the token’s new 3D forms and fine detail. The new look is premium - crisp, contrasting and captivating!
Sound Construction
The game parts and construction are robust. So rather than the rattle of cheap plastic - you'll hear a distinctive "clack" as the high density tokens drop into the engineered game grid. It’s like a typewriter type hitting a page - solid, atmospheric and delightful!
The Feel of Quality
The tokens are made from a silky smooth low friction engineered composite. The curved forms of the Orb tokens are simply magnetic to your fingertips - designed to be a tactile treat.
Enlightening Design
We controlled the token material to be slightly translucent and played with the Orb cross sectional thickness - so that token shapes could be highlighted with transmitted light. With a hit of ambient backlight the game transforms into a subtle light sculpture!
Integrated Aesthetic
Because the tokens and skins have deliberately emphasized 3D form they are able to play with properties that our eyes just love - like depth, geometric precision, fine textures and the beautiful contrast of graduated and crisp shadows. As the game grid fills it transitions into an integrated sculpture - captivating in it’s own right. It’s a rich new journey in every sense.