Dōbutsu Shogi

This app is a digital adaptation of the board game Dōbutsu Shogi, a.k.a. Let's Catch The Lion!, a child-friendly shogi variant created by professional shogi player Madoka Kitao. To make the game accessible for young players, the board is reduced in size to 3x4 squares and each player has only four pieces: lion (shogi's king); giraffe (rook); elephant (bishop); and chick (pawn). Thanks to the small number of pieces and small game board, games are over relatively quickly and young players aren't overwhelmed with options. Despite these simplifications, however, gameplay is essentially the same as in regular shogi except that players can only move pieces one square a turn. This ensures that players can use Dōbutsu Shogi as a bridge to learning the full game.

This app can be played be one or two players and includes a full recreation of the board game. It also features a few puzzle stages.