E Through the ages

Through the Ages is a great game. The newer version even better so it was with great pleasure that I was made aware of the app version of the game. It’s pricey for an app at €11 but it’s bloody good.

I’m not sure if I’ve spoken about TTA Before. (It’s a simple search to check but it ruins the narrative). TTA is something amazing IMHO. It’s a 4x game without a map. No small achievement. I’m a big fan of Twilight Struggle and I would rate TTA up there at the same level. It’s also four player. Interestingly 2,3 and 4 player versions of this game play very differently. With higher numbers it becomes like a bike race where you need to keep close to other players in military and tech and know when to go flat out for scoring points and when to hold back and reserve your strength. (Also you can kick over the other players bikes and it’s a very valid tactic).

The board game is a cracker. It’s also a long game. Even with full knowledge of the rules you’re looking at 3 to 4 hours for a 4 player and that’s all hands on deck no distractions allowed.

Anyhoe what I’m here to talk about is the App version of the game recently released. It’s out for Android and IOS (not sure If it’s cross platform but I’d be surprised if it wasn’t). I’m here to tell you citizens of Springfield it’s a humdinger. Now I will preface this by saying there is one annoying bug that causes it to crash occasionally come age 3 but I’ve only seen this happen once and it’s only version 1.0 of the app so I expect this to be solved pretty quickly.

The developers have done a fantastic job implementing this. The interface is slick. There’s tutorials, challenges and the all important multiplayer. The card graphics are all present and accounted for the player board expands to accommodate more as the ages progress. It’s clever it’s a looker and it’s a pleasure to operate

One of the great things about an app version is it allows you to learn the game at your own pace (slow for me). This one certainly makes me want to whip out the board game and play it now that I’ve re familiarized myself with the rules. The other thing that I like is playing at my own pace and snatching a few turns when it suits me. Especially multiplayer. Multiplayer is where it’s at with this game but even the AI is a more than worthy opponent

This is a magnificent app well worth your investment of time and money.

Huzzah!

Vic