Review: SCYTHE: DIGITAL EDITION On iOS Isn't The Cream Of The Crop
Scythe has been around for a couple of years now and this critically acclaimed board game can be played on the table, tablet, phone or on PC. This review is specifically for the mobile version being played on a tablet and/or a cell phone. It’s a lot of fun to play, either with someone next to you or online, and all the game elements are there and pretty well organized. But the many glitches and issues with online play and even some problems with offline play, make this the least ideal way to play the game, but it’s better than not playing at all.
Like I mentioned above, all the parts of the game are there. The complex, deep strategy, many pieces and movements are all all surprisingly well organized and displayed on such a small display. The automation of the computers and all the various pieces that are moved around and points being counted up are all great benefits to a digital version. It’s nice to be able to bring up a tab and see where players power, popularity and overall score is at any given moment. This makes the game more strategic and focuses on knowing and figuring out how to get more points than your opponent and finish the game before they can.
Even though this is a good translation to a digital version, playing on a tablet or a phone is pretty difficult still. All the pieces are so small, the tiles and the writing are all crammed together and sometimes a little difficult to correctly pick the correct thing. I don’t think it is a problem with the development of the game or this version, it’s just the nature of bringing a large and extremely complicated board game into a tiny little little package.
The game is mostly playable, but if you’re worried about rank or really good consistency in the game performance, then I will be careful here. Many online games lost their connection and would glitch out or freeze which would automatically end the game with me losing rank. I wasn’t too worried about my rank, but it is unfortunate and annoying to invest 15 or 20 minutes into a game and then I’d be lost forever. Another issue is that the game would automatically force you to watch other people move or perform actions. It’s good to know what people are doing, but a setting to allow for a more free-roaming camera or allowing yourself to focus on just your area would be very welcome.
With the complexities inside of Scythe, this app works surprisingly well. But as for investing heavy amounts of time into digital rankings or online games, I think it would be better to just purchase it on PC or save up for the real version and just play with the people around you or online. The Scythe app is totally playable, but the glitches keep it from being an excellent or even great rendition of the masterful game.
