Developer: Artefacts Studio
Steam Deck Compatibility?: Playable
Rrp: £15.49 (Gog) £15.99 (Epic) £16.75 (Humble and Steam)
Every year I try to add in one board game that has been adapted into a video game. Why? Because board games are fun and can really bring friends and families together. Digital versions of them can be just as good and in some cases better because they often have some kind of mobile port allowing you to play on the go. Of course sometimes the porting of the game is badly done, perhaps the game is buggy and glitches out, or runs insanely slowly or perhaps its online functionality is badly optimised. Now I don’t tend to mention online when it comes to games because, frankly, I feel that the very act of playing with friends like that makes even the worst games somewhat palatable. However, in the case of this game I would be remiss in not mentioning that, from what various user reviews have mentioned, the online in this game has a nasty tendency to crash. So if you wish to play online, perhaps avoid this game.
Ok, now that I’ve covered that, let’s talk about what this game does right. This game plays exactly like the physical board game though with the added niceties that it will handle the micromanagement for you. Playing ‘locally’ in a pass and play manner is a lot of fun and works well with other people or if you want to play the game alone you can add up to three AI opponents. There’s also a specific solo play mode that sets you the goal of completing the game within 14 turns.
So how does one complete the game, or more importantly win? You do this by taking up to two actions on your turn. These actions can be playing a card, doing an action a card allows or doing a project (an action anyone can do without a card). These cards will influence the resources you and your opponents have which in turn allow you to increase one of three meters. The three meters you’re attempting to raise are the Temperature, O2 levels and number of oceans. Once all three meters are full the game ends and points are totted up. The one with the most wins.
Yeah, I glossed over a lot of the rules there, but that’s are the extremely simplified version. I’ve been playing this game on and off for months now. Both on my phone and on the PC (no idea if there is crossplay there). The game runs pretty well and it’s a lot of fun, but remember I am playing only in single player or in a pass and play manner NOT online.
