I am a big fan
Wed Aug 01 2018 Subscribe to this podcast now.I loved the board game and I think the app is a great adaptation. Works on both iPhone and my IPad. No complaints at all, if you are used to friendly games where no one uses military you might be in for a surprise, but after a few games you figure out you better keep up especially in the last age. Basically if the other players are not trying to add culture even by age 2 its clear they are waiting for Napoleon. It’s hard once you fall behind on military or government to recover. So if I had a complaint it would be that. However you can find a few friends that all agree not to be obnoxious. Just like anywhere else on the internet.
If you don’t know the game there is a steep learning curve. That isn’t new to the app, the game always takes a little to get used to. I found that the first few games I would lose track of certain things that happened previously. But after a while got used to not seeing the score or so the other players screens on a table in front of me. It’s all there you have know where to look. I say get the game and enjoy.
Excellent adaptation
Sun Feb 28 2021 Father milesThrough the Ages board game is a ton of fun, but it also has a lot of rules and a lot of triggers you can forget. The app does a truly excellent job smoothing this over. The tutorial is excellent at teaching you the game, and has a nice personal tone to keep the tutorial engaging. While playing, you can undo all the way back to the last-revealed piece of information (pretty much a whole turn). The app tracks what cards you submitted to the event deck and if that’s the only one left, it warns you that you “know” that event is coming. If you try to pass your turn, it will remind you about military tactics you can play or copy and when you might lose resources because you didn’t use enough of them that turn. When taking actions, a dialog pops up that lets you choose how to take that action (e.g. submit this colony to the event deck or colonize it by removing Christopher Columbus from play). Everything is just very smooth. I don’t have a single suggestion on improvement.
No good, at first
Wed Nov 01 2017 Abel SteeleI wrote a review before that wasn’t complementary. Truth is though, I continued to play after a bit of time passed. Was still met with some frustration. But I did start to learn how to play the game better. And I have to say that it does play like a board game. Which is to say that sometimes you lose because of bad luck or poor decisions. Yet I keep playing. The challenge is addictive. The only thing it’s missing from a board game is the goofing off and silly banter exchanged between friends and family. Which I find is half the fun of a good board game. In short, I will reprise my earlier review, and say that this game can be fun. If you don’t mind losing some. But that just makes your victories that much more satisfying. I left my earlier review below, in case anyone can relate to how I felt before.
I've been playing this game for a few days now a lot. But no matter how hard I try, I have a hard time winning against one easy opponent. Maybe I'm missing something since I've never played the board game. I usually do pretty good at strategy games, but this game doesn't click with me. Now I'm just passed I spent ten bucks on it.
This app made me buy the board game
Thu Mar 03 2022 T-TownThunderFanWhile it does take some time to learn, it’s well worth it. The tutorial is extremely helpful and actually very funny. Who thinks to make such an entertaining tutorial? It makes learning such an intricate game much easier. Don’t even try to play without doing that first. You’ll get frustrated and miss out on some witty banter.
As far as the game goes, this is probably the most fun I’ve had playing a game in as long as I can remember. So much so that my family has purchased the actual board game now as well. It’s VERY nice and very well-built. There is so much variety available in this game that the replay-ability is very high. I recommend spending a tad more to get the expansion version once you’ve got the original down. It’s even better balanced and adds great new cards, wonders and leaders. If you’re a history buff or just a fellow strategy game-lover, you’re in for a treat!
Excellent tutorial, great combo of luck and strategy
Thu Apr 19 2018 Haunt DudeThis is a great game themed optimization/luck/strategy game. You can pick it up at any time to continue playing against AI players, then put it down instantly whenever your elevator arrives or whatever, to continue later. There are no additional abilities or DLCs to purchase later - you get the whole game for the original purchase price that is well worth it.
The tutorial is outstanding and a lot of fun. There are three levels of AI difficulty - after maybe 100 games I’m still using easy AI but I can tell I’m getting better and will move up soon. You can also play online against human components if you know you’ve got 40+ minutes to kill, and that’s great, too.
This is one of the best of the best of the Euro games that have come to the fore in the last 15 years. A beautifully balanced and entertaining game that incorporates the best concepts of modern board games - worker placement, strategy, random elements, extremely high replayability, created by a master board game designer. Truthfully, the digital version is better than the board game it emulates, because the digital game automatically handles housekeeping tasks and allows you the option to play on your own against AI players (which means you’ll be much better prepared when you later play the physical board game with real in-person humans).
This has been my main iPhone/iPad game for 3 months now. I highly recommend it!
One of my favorite board games
Fri Sep 27 2019 Herr HitlerI was thrilled to find there is an app for this game. The price tag made me hesitate for a moment, but I could not ask for anything better. There is a more streamlined/app friendly version of the rules, but I chose to stick with the tabletop rules, and it is exactly like the game. If, such as is my case, you don't know anybody with the patience for an hours-long game, then this is for you. If you enjoy Through The Ages, then it is definitely worth it!
EXPANSION UPDATE: As soon as I discovered there was an expansion released, I bought it immediately. I was very pleased with the new dimensions added by the leaders and wonders, and they make you rethink a go-to strategy, or even take a course you normally would not have taken with just the base cards. I switched to using the digital rules and they are very minor changes but make online games a breeze. I am looking forward to the physical release of the expansion!
I’ve discovered an amazing game!
Sun Feb 18 2018 ImphatI’ve just read a review criticizing this game for being too hard (even on easy level).
Well, people have to understand that this game has been around for a while and holds one of the highest complexity rates on he top board games ever created.
Even if you are used to gaming, TTA has a lot of depth in it and it takes more than a few plays to get used to its mechanics. It’s a ver rewarding game if you are up for the challenge. This is not a game you will win on your first or second match.
The AI, to be honest, is not that strong, but it’s enough to give most people at least some challenge. I’m not a good player at all, but after 20 matches or so I could beat the hardest level heads up. I still occasionally lose as well.
This app is very well designed. I can play even on the tiny iPhone screen and keep track of all my stuff and everything the opponents are doing. Also. It runs on my old iPad 2!!
To sum up, this app changed my mind about this game. I own a copy since it’s release, but before playing it over 50 times on the app it was just an ok game for me. Now, after so many plays I am able to realize how well designed TTA is and why it does deserve to be on the top board games of all time.
Since I’ve played this over 50 times and every match takes about an hour, I’d say my 10 bucks were a very good investment.
Great Adaptation & Challenging AI
Sun Nov 26 2017 mjacobscaThis game is a near-perfect implementation of the board game, and just as fun. The AI plays an extremely strong game considering how complex the game is. I usually play a 4P Expert AI game, and I've only won once so far. I love the challenge. Speaking of which, I haven't attempted any of the "challenge" modes in the game. I'm having too much fun trying to beat the AI. Also, I love the async rules for online play. They speed up what would otherwise be a tedious experience. (Note to readers: the online async rules are optional).
The only thing that would make this game better is expansion leaders and wonders. Please release them ASAP!!!! I'm kind of tired of Michaelangelo.
Oh, and feedback about the game in general. I feel like early Aggressions are almost non-existent in this edition of the game. I don't think the card discard penalty is strong enough to make players think twice about defending. In the old edition, you had to sacrifice soldiers to defend, which was far more difficult a decision. I understand why the change was made, but it's almost too easy to defend when you are 2-3 points back now. Suggestion: If you choose to discard a card to defend, perhaps each card costs you one military action the following round? That would be a much tougher decision for me, and would increase aggressions without forcing unit sacrifices.
Keep up the great work!
Patience
Sun Aug 18 2024 D&AWilliamsI really like this game. I also like the graphs at the end that show your production across all areas, turn by turn, compared to your rival. That is cool! I do want to give advice to new players. I almost gave up on this game because I made the mistake of trying to quickly play through my turns and paid no attention to my rival. Consequently, I lost every game. So I almost gave up, but then decided to try one more time, and slowed down. I thought through my choices on every turn, figured out that production and military strength early on is important, while still doing things to generate culture. I even wrote down what my rival was doing so I could analyze the AI’s card and resource production choices. For new players, I would tell you - take your time and think through your turns. It makes a difference (I won that game by 31 points).
Great game, app well done
Mon Feb 19 2018 RickyPoo1964First off, yes... Through The Ages is a difficult BOARD game. I think people giving poor reviews based on difficulty has zero relevance here when commenting on the app version. The difficulty has nothing to do with the app itself.
The user interface is well done. Adaptation of the billions (exaggerating) of cards are easy to use and will be able to play mostly without having to read any ‘what buttons do what’ guides. Majority of things going on in the game are intuitive to those familiar with the board game.
Some minor things I’d like to see done differently:
1) Allow options for choosing the ‘Simple’, ‘Advanced’ or ‘Full Game’.
2) Allow options for game variants that are available in the actual board game rules.
3) Use actual player board from the board game, or at least the option. While this isn’t a big deal for people unfamiliar with the board game... I imagine a lot of board gamers would appreciate it (we game nerds prefer substance over style, and don’t need flair to enjoy a board game).
Wonderful game, which does have a high degree of learning to strategize, let alone master (that is a good thing). If you want a quick and easy game, there are plenty of other board game apps available. But if you want an app version of one of the highest rated and loved board games around... this is it!
