Karata: Last Card is an independent game built in Tanzania, for a game Tanzanians already play. It is free, it works offline against the computer, and it plays online with friends over a room code.
Why this game exists
Karata is played everywhere here, and almost every digital version of it is somebody else's game with the serial numbers filed off — Crazy Eights with different art, rules that do not match how anyone actually plays, menus in a language nobody at the table speaks. This one is built around the Tanzanian game as it is played: the plug, the stacked Jokers, Kadi Moja shouted across the table, and the house rules people actually argue about. It is bilingual in Swahili and English throughout, because that is how the game is played.
How it works
Play against the computer with no internet at all — the whole game engine runs on your phone, which matters when data is expensive or the network is not there. Play online by creating a room and sharing the four-character code. Anyone with the code joins, on any platform: Android, iPhone, or straight in a browser at karata.uk.
What it costs
Nothing. The game is free and there is nothing to buy to play it. It is supported by advertising, and you can earn coins by watching an ad if you want to skip one later. There is no real-money gambling in Karata and none is planned without the licensing that would properly require.
Who makes it
Karata is built and maintained by a small independent team in Tanzania. The rules research, the artwork, the Swahili and the code are all done in-house. If you play the game differently where you are, we would genuinely like to hear about it — regional variations are the most interesting part of Karata, and the house-rules page grows from what players tell us.