Android Game Review: Carcassonne
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Carcassonne is a well-known boardgame that has now been released for Android by game developer Exozet. The board game was published in 2000 and has basically reached cult status. The game is for 2-5 players. Each player gets a certain amount of tiles and has to place that on the board, thus creating roads and cities. You are awarded points for your roads, cities and monastaries and the player with the highest score wins. Is the Android game just as fun as the board game? I’m afraid that I won’t be able to answer that question. Despite the game’s cult status I have never played it before. Therefore I’ll put this game to the test, using the normal & strict Playandroid test rules. Here goes…
Graphics: Medieval?
Carcassonne plays in medieval times. You are given different tiles and each turn you receive a randomly selected tile, that you need to include on the game board. You construct roads, build cities and create monastaries. Luckily, the graphics aren’t medieval, on the other hand, the graphics could be a lot more detailed. The Android game now greatly resembles the board game, which is charming, but the Android version could offer so much more… for example, animations of your city or monastary or construction of the road. The graphics now are fine, they are sufficient, but in my opinion the Android version of Carcassonne has more potential than it shows. Pity.
Graphics: 2/5
Sounds: Hear the trumpet!
The game has lovely background music, that is inspired by medieval times. The tune is very recognizable, but it never gets annoying when playing the game. Also, the little background sounds are lovely. Every time you, or one of your opponents, scores a point, you hear a trumpet. This is a great ‘victory’ feature, the only complaint that I have is that, at the end of the game, when all the points are counted and added up, you hear it A LOT. Two or three different victorious trumpet sounds would have been great.
Sounds: 4/5
Controls: All hail the industrial revolution!
Carcassonne plays in medieval times, with characters that each show a certain amount of characteristics that we now associate with the middle ages. Fortunately, the controls are not plagued by any medieval diseases. The game runs smoothly, with no glitches or lagging, the buttons react almost directly to your touch. The developers have done a lovely job, the easy controls make the gaming experience an absolute pleasure.
Controls: 5/5
Scope:Undiscovered territory
The game has two modes, the basic mode and the river mode. You can play it with 1-5 players. You can play it alone against the computer (or 4 computer opponents) or with a bunch of friends, this makes that every game is different and that you need to change your tactics time and time again. Therefore, it’s difficult to say what the scope of this game really is, the ever-changing dynamic makes that this game is superentertaining, because of the ‘chance factor’ you never know what tile you’re going to play and where you can fit it and how it’s going to be influenced by your opponents. The game keeps reinventing itself and you have to reinvent yourself each time as well. This fact alone makes this game so enjoyable and entertaining that I haven’t even been able to start with the ‘river mode’ yet. That says it all.
Scope: 5/5
Atmosphere: Clean
Really, I shouldn’t complain about the game atmosphere. The board game is wonderful, therefore an Android game that looks exactly like the board game should be just as good, right? This game has added sounds, which are superb and fit the game like a glove, however, sounds alone do not make an atmosphere. Here I come back to what I previously stated: some added graphics and/or animations could really enhance the atmosphere of the game. Why not show us a short clip of medieval city life? The developer has given character creation much thought, each character has its own looks and comes with a short description. Why not expand on that? What’s Lisa the Lovely her reaction when she wins? Will she herd her flock of sheep or go party with the local boys? What’s her reaction when she loses? It such a pity that the developer has created fun characters, but a part from some nice, snarky remarks, you don’t get to experience those characters much.
Still, with the board game graphics, wonderful controls and super sounds Carcassonne scores a solid amount of points.
Atmosphere: 3/5
Fun Factor: Carcassonne for life!
Carcassonne is wonderful. This game is wonderful to play with friends, or alone against a computer opponent. This really is one of those must-haves that you’ll keep returning to, time and time and again. It doesn’t get boring or annoying, you train your brain and develop new tactics to come out a winner. Yes, I would like some extra graphics. No, that won’t influence the fun factor. Okay, if they’d install the extra animations and would expand on the characters the developer would get bonus points, as well as my eternal gratitude.
Fun Factor: 5/5
Conclusion:
Carcassonne is the bomb. I had never played the game before, but now I’m hooked.
No, it’s not a game with flashy graphics that will blow you away, nor is it so action-packed that you’ll stay up three nights in a row, because ‘I must kill the end boss and I shan’t rest before I have transported him to the realm of doom/evil/dark pit of never-ending sorrow’. Carcassonne is a strategic game that’ll sharpen your mind and will provide you with hours of brain-crunching fun. My advice? Go get it. Now.
Reviewed by Lara Van Waas. Video Review by Julian Ermert, Lara Van Waas, Frederik Schrader & Anbang Lin.