18Korea
- December 7, 2021
- Sinkhole Studio
Get on Steam"18Korea is a strategy game for 2-5 players, playable in single-player, local or online multiplayer mode. Run railroad companies, trade stocks, and build railroads across the Korean Peninsula, with 30 unique asset cards to help devise strategies. The Korean War breaks out during gameplay, destroying tracks and stations, altering the game's direction and challenging players to adapt for the best profit."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique mechanic with the Korean War elements, adding an intriguing layer to strategy and planning.
- It provides a good implementation of the 18xx board games, with features like auto-calculated train routes that save time compared to tabletop versions.
- The developers are actively working on fixing bugs and improving gameplay, showing commitment to enhancing the player experience.
- The rules are unclear and contain many terms that may confuse players, leading to a frustrating learning experience.
- There is no way to save multiplayer games, which limits playability for those who cannot dedicate long sessions.
- The game feels unbalanced and repetitive, with limited strategic options and a fast-paced board development that detracts from the overall fun.
- gameplay4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay features a unique mechanic where advancing to era 3 results in half of the map being wiped out, which stands out in the 18xx genre. However, players express frustration over the abandonment of the game by developers, leaving critical gameplay elements unrefined and bugs unresolved.
“Update: developers appear to have abandoned this game while there are still some important gameplay elements to adjust and some bugs to squash.”
“This game has a very unique mechanic (as far as my exposure to 18xx, which is pretty extensive) with half of the map getting wiped out once you advance to era 3 (brown tiles).”
- replayability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is viewed positively, particularly due to its pre-game draft of asset cards, which introduces asymmetry and variety. However, some players express concerns about certain elements that may affect long-term enjoyment, especially for purists. Overall, it offers a good balance for those who appreciate replayable board games.
“I wonder about the replayability because of that issue.”
“This is pretty good, both as a client and as an entry in the family of games, including elements that are questionable if you are a purist but are pretty nice if you like your board games to have replayability and some minimum degree of asymmetry, and I am referring to the pre-game draft of asset cards.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Users suggest improvements to the game's graphics, specifically advocating for the removal of game pauses when activating train graphics and the addition of visual indicators during stock rounds to clearly display player ownership and share quantities for each company.
“During a stock round, each company should graphically show which players own stock in each company and how many shares they own.”
