Developer: Days of Wonder
Publisher: Days of Wonder
Rrp: £6.99 (£14.99 for the complete edition)
Released: 24th May 2012
Available on Steam
Played using: Keyboard & Mouse
Ticket to Ride is the PC version of the award winning tabletop board game. In the spirit of honesty I must mention that I am a big fan of that board game, but I will try not to let that impede my judgement of this title.
Now rather than writing a ham fisted explanation of how to play this game I’m going to cheat and embed a video of a man I greatly respect not only explaining how to play but also playing it. So please give it a watch at least for the first five minutes where he explains how it all works.
Every time you start the game or enter the main menu you are greeted by the Conductor that you see on screen, this voiceover can be deactivated in the settings menu, to find settings first click the “More” button and it’s on the following screen. Once in settings just click the first switch on the bottom left to the off position.
I also advise playing the game in a windowed mode as when it’s set to full screen the icon selection seems to be out of alignment meaning your actually having to click much lower and to the right of what you intend.
When you press the play button you are brought to a screen with a choice of different maps to play. The standard version of Ticket to Ride only comes with the original map (just as the board game does). The others you can purchase as DLC some of which will add new rules specific to that map. Only the original map has the option of watching a tutorial video, once you’ve watched the video a interactive tutorial will begin allowing you to learn through playing, The other maps require you to find and read (or watch) the rules in the “Rules” menu (beyond the “more” button on the main screen) or by clicking the “?” button on the top left.
There is the also an option to play online or have ‘pass and play’ multiplayer, you can choose up to a maximum of five players.
Sadly there are lots of things I have to complain about with Ticket to Ride, none of which have anything to do with the actual playing of the game itself.
Nearly all of my woes come from the menu system little things like the Conductor speaking to you every single time unless you turn it off, the settings and rules menus bring hidden behind a “more” button when they could easily have been on the main page, the single music track that loops forever and finally the broken full screen mode.
Most of these issues are fixed easily enough or avoided of course but they still annoy.
Is Ticket to Ride worth it? Well yes, actually it is, BUT if you do play it, I would urge you to find the real board game and give it a go. I have a copy of it myself and it is VASTLY superior to the PC game.
If this interests you perhaps try:
Small World 2
Talisman
Catan: Creator’s Edition
