Catan - Review

Catan, developed by Big Huge Games, is the video game version of Settlers of Catan, a board game that originated in Germany in the mid-‘90s. In this highly unique and intuitive title, you undertake the role of an explorer out to settle the island of Catan. Competition will be fierce as you encounter well-known advesaries such as Abraham Lincoln, Queen Elizabeth, and Alexander the Great.



The Nitty Gritty:

The premise of Catan surrounds three primary facets: victory points, resources, and trading. To start, you will need ten victory points to win a match. Victory points can be obtained a number of ways, from building a city to having the longest road. In order to construct a city or form a yellow brick road, you will of course need resources. There are a total of five resources at your disposal: grain, wool, lumber, ore and brick. The fun lies in having to mold together combinations of said resources to form different structures and items. For example, to assemble a city, you will need grain (two) and ore (three).

Catan’s playing field is composed of nineteen numbered hexagonal tiles, each containing a resource aside from one (the beach tile). If a player rolls a number corresponding to a tile in which they have occupied in any way, they will score the resource pertaining to that particular title.

There are several routes one can take to acquire the resource they desire, such as trading, port trading, and development cards. Trading is self-explanatory; players will make card offers to each other, both attempting to obtain a needed resource. Port trading is also a very simplistic method of collecting resources – if you have four of one resource, you can enter a portal and trade them for a desired resource. The only downside to this approach is you’ll be giving away four cards for one. It should be noted that in various matches, the port trading ratio for specific resources will be 2:1, as opposed to the aforementioned 4:1.

Development cards are a great way to take command of a match. In order to achieve one, you will need one wool, one grain, and one ore. There are five development cards to randomly draw from, the first being a soldier. Soldier cards are multi-faceted in that they can give you the largest army (two victory points!) as well as the opportunity to steal from another player’s resource bounty. The second development card, monopoly, will give you the option of choosing a resource. Once chosen, every player must give you that particular resource, no questions asked. Road building, the third development card, is another multi-layered card. It will give you two roads to build, rendering you well on your way to achieving the longest road objective (worth two victory points). Simultaneously, you’ll be occupying supplementary tiles, improving your chances of snagging resources when someone rolls the dice. The second to last development card, year of plenty, will allow you to take any two resource cards from the bank. Last, but certainly not least, comes the victory point card. When purchased, you’ll be one point closer to winning the game.

In Layman's Terms:

There’s tons more to be said about the gameplay mechanics of Catan, but I’ll leave it at that for fear of scaring away first-timers. It’s without a doubt a complicated ordeal, but I can assure you after approximately twenty minutes you’ll be at the point where winning is a possibility. There’s also a “Learn As You Play” mode, where the game will guide you along as you play, outlining rules, features, and the like. For someone who never delved into the board rendition of Catan, this personally came as a huge assistance.

For gamers searching for a quality multiplayer romp, you’ve come to the right place. Because while the A.I. is exceptional, let’s be honest here – a title such as Catan is made for multiplayer affairs. Catan sports online multiplayer for up to four players. Some have experienced match drops during play, but I myself have yet to experience any problems whatsoever.

From a visual standpoint, Catan does not disappoint. Gamers have complete maneuverability of the board, meaning you can spin and zoom-in with the left thumbstick. There are two different board skins you can play on; one being a basic board setup and the other being a “living world.” In the latter, everything appears vibrant and colorful. Instead of the tiles holding relation to resources via color, they actually possess their particular resource. For example, in lieu of a green tile with a sheep in the middle representing wool, you’ll have a pasture filled with living, breathing sheep. With the lumber tile, you’ll actually have trees. These are welcome additions that give the game a modern feel, but I found myself using the basic skin more than anything. While the living world skin is easy on the eyes, strategic moves such as placing settlements and roads are much easier executed on the fundamental board look.

On the audio front, there’s not much to articulate about. The score is of a classical nature, which is completely appropriate taking into account the game’s genre. Sound effects are what you’d expect out of a video game adaptation of a board game.

Summary:

Catan for Xbox Live Arcade is a superb addition to anyone’s library. Its accessibility and user-friendliness will allow people of all skill types to have a blast. Even if this wasn’t your type of game in the past, Catan may just make you a believer.