Video Game Review: Catan: Console Edition - Cities and Knights by Dovetail Games/Nomad Games

Anyone willing to trade labrious effort for some convenience and a few glitches?

For those who don’t know, Catan, previously known as The Settlers of Catan, is a board game from 1995. Its expansion, Cities and Knights, was released in 1998 and both versions are highly revered and still played all these years later. Over the years it has spawned many expansions and updates (including 5-6 player add-ons, Explorers and Pirates, Seafarers, etc.). I learned about the game eight years ago and have since loved playing with friends who know all about it (or when my cousin comes to town). I will do my best with this review to focus on the console version of the game, though some explanation of the base game and its expansion will be necessary, not to mention some observations I've discovered through multiple games. Most of this review will refer to gameplay experienced through the City and Knights expansion.

First and foremost, Catan is a board game that focuses on collecting resources, trading, and building. The goal is to beat your opponents to a certain score (ten points in standard Catan, thirteen in Cities and Knights) by building settlements, cities, development cards, city upgrades, and more. You gain resources by placing settlements on hexes with numbers and getting said number rolled. Which strategy you employ is up to you, and sometimes a pivot is necessary when things don't go your way. Trading is important and happens more frequently at the beginning of a match than toward the end. After all, the fear that one’s trade may place their opponent that much closer to a win is quite a deterrent. Catan: Console Version takes all the rules of Catan and perfectly implements them onto a virtual board, making long-distance Catan a possible thing. If you are a fellow Catanian, this is your best option to play with friends at a distance.

But is this the best way to play the game in general? Well, there are some caveats here that I must convey before endorsing such an investment. First and foremost, the game can be quite buggy. Not always, and sometimes not necessarily game-breaking, but still an irritation. Some of these simple things make me think no one at the studio used a quality assurance team to check for any issues. For instance, when a seven is rolled in Catan, there is a robber that is placed somewhere on the board (wherever he is placed, the hex will no longer give any resource of that type when the number is rolled until he is moved by a development card or another seven). When playing Cities and Knights, the robber will frequently hide behind a knight, making it difficult to discern his location at a glance. Visual cues in the game are sometimes iffy, sometimes leading to an improperly placed settlement, city, road, or knight. Sometimes the dice are difficult to see (particularly when they land on a wooded zone), which takes a few seconds of precious time away when you're playing on a timer. Minor things, but many of them added up can become an annoyance.

Catan: Console Edition also introduces the option to include AI opponents. This is great when you only have one other person willing to play (or just want to go one round yourself). While the AI is infrequently good enough to win (they have won once in all the games I've played), it is always almost too predictable. Only once in all the time I played did they use The Alchemist card (which allows you to choose the roll of the numbered dice) to roll something other than a seven. They almost always go for city upgrades first. They almost always penalize the player, even if another AI is a point or two ahead (Curse you, Yngvi). It is rather basic but still works well enough to have an enjoyable game of Catan. Sometimes, especially late game, the AI will play multiple cards or build multiple things. This occurs so quickly on screen that it’s sometimes difficult to tell what occurred, then I’ll look at my hand and a few of my cards are missing. I just have to laugh and move on. On the whole, I’d say that despite its simplicity and over-aggression toward the player, the AI is a welcome addition that allows more options for fellow settlers.

Unfortunately, there are some ugly glitches that I've encountered during a heated game. Whenever I play with my cousin and her partner, they are frequently kicked out of the game. Luckily she can rejoin, but sometimes one of them doesn't get back before their turn and the AI takes over briefly, using the player’s cards in a way they did not intend. This has also happened to my partner and I, though less frequently. There should be an option for all players to pause the game (if a timer is running) so that online opponents can rejoin. One time I got kicked and I was completely unable to rejoin. The game continued to bug out by saying that I joined, but never put me back in the action. It was near the end of the game which makes it even more frustrating. I’ve also paused an online game and quit (which is supposed to save the board you were playing to be resumed later), and when I came back, the game was bugged and unplayable. If a game is going to include a convenient option, it should be reliable. I didn't run into too many problems with resuming games in offline mode against AI thankfully. One of the most recent glitches forced the end of my turn, costing me a hefty amount of cards when the robber was rolled and completely ruined my plans (this frustration led me to quit that game).

One of the advantages of Catan: Console Edition is its display. The board looks great and even has small animations for all the hexes, cities, knights, the robber, etc. It brings the game to life a bit, even if the soundtrack and sound effects leave a lot to be desired (honestly just mute the game and put on some music). The sound effects for the barbarian attack are ridiculous and prompt players with a stupid screen that everyone must endure, each in turn, for a few moments (a bit of poor game design) instead of everyone seeing it at once and pressing the X button to continue. Despite these things and some previously mentioned visual issues, looking at the board and seeing it come to life is a welcome incorporation. They could have made it static and it would have been fine, but the extra polish breathes a little life into this thirty-year-old game. It is also nice that the console version gives you the option to view your hand from your phone (if multiple people are playing on the same console), though sometimes it lags behind a bit so you have to reload the page.

One of the biggest advantages of Catan: Console Edition over the tactile board game is the setup. Everything is quick and easy. The board sets itself up and randomizes everything significantly quicker than a person could. Plus it takes the additional sting out of losing (after all, the loser sets up the next board, right?). Not to mention the lack of cleanup and potential loss of pieces. Catan is an extensive game with many pieces and the convenience of the online version is undeniable.

Now for a brief aside about the game itself. Playing the Cities and Knights expansion made me realize how unbalanced the game can be. Make no mistake, when in the heat of a competitive game Catan is one of my all-time favorites. But when your luck is bad, the game becomes an absolute drag. This would be fine if you weren't aware of the fact that you are going to spend the next hour to an hour and a half losing. Sometimes other players are just too far ahead and luck is against you. In these instances, the game goes from being a fun, competitive, strategic escape to an absolute bore. I believe that the lack of tactile pieces makes this even more apparent, as I am drawn to my phone and any other stimuli in these long drawn-out bouts. This doesn't happen every game, but when it does, it can be painful.

When it comes down to it, I believe that the question of whether Catan: Console Edition is for you comes down to a matter of distance and convenience. Do you hate setting up and putting away the board after each bout? Do you want to play with friends across the country? Do you want play to online against strangers (the wait time is rather long, mind you)? If so, the game is for you. Despite its shortcomings, Catan: Console Edition is a convenient way to play this beloved board game, just be ready to fork out a little cash (Cities and Knights and other add-ons are an additional fee). If you've never played, I highly recommend getting the physical board game. It's a safe place to start. If you want to jump into the console experience, expect a few issues, but don't let it bother you too much. Catan is a fun game to lose hours to, just don't get on the bad side of the dice… or the AI.

--

The Math

Objective Assessment: 7/10

Bonus: +2 for convenience. +.5 for non-static visuals. +1 for online play.

Penalties: -3 for bugs. -1 for poor visual cues. 

Nerd Coefficient: 6.5/10

Catan/Cities and Knights (traditional board game version): 8.5/10

Posted by: Joe DelFranco - Fiction writer and lover of most things video games. On most days you can find him writing at his favorite spot in the little state of Rhode Island.