Reviewed: May 14, 2007
Reviewed by: Arend Hart
Publisher
Big Huge Games
Developer
Big Huge Games
Released: May 2, 2007
Genre: Strategy
Players: 1-2
8
7
6
7
7.8
Supported Features:
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
Board games are a genre that has never meshed too terribly well with the video game industry. These virtual translations of classic board games have a tendency to suck every bit of fun the game once had right on out of it, and usually have me reaching for my real risk board in short order. However, there was something strangely different about this game, Catan, although it lacked a board, it was still fun to play and incredibly addicting.
Catan is the newly released Xbox Live Arcade game by Big Huge Games and is based off the popular German board game, Settlers of Catan, and doesn’t do a whole lot to mess up the formula that made the game so great to begin with.
Big Huge Games is the same developer that brought us the Rise of Nations series, which makes them no stranger to the world of empire building. And, in essence this is what the world of Catan is all about. Players pit themselves against up to three other players in a race to collect resources and settle the island of Catan before their opponents can do the same. While this concept may sound quite simple, and perhaps a little dull, Catan is quick to prove that it is quite the contrary.
The rules of Catan are simple enough and provide a fair amount of depth and strategy, but still have something of a learning curve. Players begin the game by placing settlements on a randomly generated board composed of a series of hexagons, each of which have a number and resource attached to them. Players take turns rolling dice and receive resource cards when the number on one of the spaces adjacent to the players settlements is rolled.
The player then uses a combination of the games five resources to continue building more settlements, which in turn will net them more resources. Players can also use their resources to buy themselves development cards which can give them a great advantage if they are played at the correct time.
The ultimate goal for all the players is to be the first person to snatch up 10 victory points which are measured in a number of ways. All the players settlements count for 1, cities, which are upgrades to settlements count as 2. Players can also get victory points for having the most roads built, or by flexing their development cards which can yield them a decent edge against other players.
There are a few twists to these more basic rules however. The player may not build a settlement that is within two spaces of another player’s settlement, and they must be built at least two spaces away from their own. This can require a great deal of planning, or else the player may find themselves muscled out of prime resource spots early on.
Players always do have the option of trading with other players for resources they need, however they wont always get an offer, as your opponents will sometimes wish to prevent you from getting what you need to hamper your progress. However you can still trade with the game’s ports at a loss for something you really need. There is also the ever-present robber token, which is moved when a player either rolls a seven or plays the soldier development card. This allows the player to steal resources from other players, which can become crucial in the later stages of a game.
There are a handful of options for customizing your games of Catan. Players can change victory point requirements, impose time limits, or make the robber token a little more forgiving. Players can also pick from a variety of AI opponents to play against who each have their own distinct play styles and can prove to be quite the challenge on the higher difficulty levels.
The rule set for Catan is somewhat daunting at first glance, but is simple enough to learn, and the addition of a learn as you play tutorial does a good job of easing players into the deceptively addicting gameplay.
While the board for Catan may essentially look the same, its translation to the Xbox Live Arcade has given it some truly vivid colors, as well as two distinct themes for players to choose from. The original theme is the more classical and simple, but the living theme really adds a vibrant level of detail to the game board, with rolling mountains and waving fields of crops, and not to mention a dancing robber token.
There is one trade off with the enhanced level of detail in that the numbers which are normally displayed on the game spaces disappear and players must depress a button to reveal them, this isn’t really any kind of hassle, but you have to do it enough that it does tend to get in the way. Players do have the ability to rotate and zoom the camera to every conceivable angle, so getting the right perspective on the game board is never complicated.
While many of the sound effects in Catan are borrowed from other titles in the Big Huge Games license, they still remain lifelike and effective. The music remains original however, and does a good job carrying the peaceful atmosphere of the game with its calm, orchestral variations.
Perhaps the biggest draw of Catan is the fact that it can be played online, and keeping the wholesome social aspect of board games intact. There is still plenty of fun to be had offline as well, considering that a single game can last anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes depending on the skill of the players.
While the game remains essentially unchanged every time you play, it is still difficult to master and hopelessly addicting. The game also has some decent achievement points to keep players coming back for more.
While the rules of Catan may not make it immediately accessible to everyone, it certainly rewards players who take the time to learn it’s ins and outs. There aren’t that many frills to Catan‘s presentation, as it remains a fairly simple board game experience, which will be a welcome sight to board game purists and players willing to look past it’s somewhat intimidating rules.
However, Catan is still a deep and rich strategy experience, and for a mere handful of Microsoft points, it can be a welcome addition to any player’s arcade who is willing to spend some time learning the few simple rules of this timed release gaming experience.