Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small
- February 14, 2017
- DIGIDICED
"Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small" is a digital adaptation of a two-player board game where you build and manage a farm, including breeding animals and bartering for goods. Compete against AI or global leaders in cross-platform multiplayer, with 8 rounds and 3 workers to make each decision count. The game features faithful conversion and breeding focus, as well as an expansion: "More Buildings Big and Small".
Reviews
- The game is a decent digital adaptation of the board game, capturing the core mechanics and strategy of animal husbandry.
- It offers a variety of AI opponents and allows for online multiplayer, providing a good challenge and engagement.
- The graphics are nice and the game is easy to pick up, making it accessible for both new players and fans of the original board game.
- The user interface is clunky and poorly designed, making navigation difficult and frustrating for players.
- There are numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including issues with multiplayer functionality and AI behavior.
- The tutorial is inadequate, failing to teach new players the game mechanics effectively, which can lead to confusion and a steep learning curve.
- gameplay5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The gameplay experience is mixed, with some users finding it limited and frustrating due to a poor user interface and lack of fun, while others praise "Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small" for successfully translating its core mechanics into a digital format. The game features worker placement mechanics and offers an undo option for certain actions, though inconsistencies in its availability detract from the overall usability.
“Despite online board games generally having mixed reviews, I think Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small stands out for being able to play the game without any problems while staying true to its game feel and mechanics.”
“All the core mechanics are present in this digital version of the Agricola spin-off game.”
“Gameplay-wise, it features worker placement.”
“It seems to be limited to one opponent, the user interface is so bad it's almost broken, and the gameplay isn't fun.”
“Undo is available for some actions but unavailable for others, for reasons apparently unrelated to gameplay or usability.”
- stability5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits significant stability issues, with frequent glitches and bugs that can lead to freezing, particularly in online multiplayer modes. While it retains the core elements of the board game, the overall experience is marred by its instability and lack of polish.
“While it is a pretty faithful version of the actual board game, there are occasional glitches that can cause the game to freeze.”
“Very unstable and buggy in online multiplayer.”
“The game mostly works in its basic aspects, but there are bugs and glitches all over the place.”
- music4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally considered mediocre, with some users finding it repetitive and poorly looped, leading to frustration. While it fits the game's theme, the lack of a volume control and the overall quality detract from the experience, making some players less inclined to engage with the physical board game.
“The graphics are nice enough, close to the board game, and the music and sound effects fit well with the theme.”
“The UI, arguably the most important aspect of a digital board game, is made by someone with no knowledge or even basic research of the field. The music and sound effects are acceptable at best and badly looped.”
“Terrible, predictable AI, and music that will get on your nerves sooner than you'd imagine. It actually made me want to play the physical board game less after playing many games here.”
“There's no volume bar for music and sound effects; you can only turn them on or off.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy is criticized as a blatant cash grab typical of mobile games, leading to dissatisfaction among players who feel the presentation lacks quality and respect for the PC market.
“It's more of a blatant mobile cash grab.”
“I want this sloppy hack job presentation cleaned up in a way that shows the PC market is not a shameless cash grab.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The graphics are visually appealing and closely resemble the original board game, though they are not particularly demanding on system resources. Additionally, the accompanying music and sound effects enhance the overall thematic experience.
“The graphics are nice enough, close to the board game, and the music and sound effects fit well with the theme.”
“The graphics aren't that demanding.”
“The visuals feel outdated and lack detail.”
“The art style is inconsistent and doesn't match the game's theme.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for a poorly designed user interface, numerous bugs affecting achievements, and overall subpar performance.
“The user interface is poorly designed, achievements are bugged, and overall optimization is lacking.”
“The game suffers from significant performance issues, making it frustrating to play.”
“There are frequent frame drops and long loading times, indicating a lack of proper optimization.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the unskippable animations for moving animals to be a tedious aspect of grinding, leading to frustration during gameplay.
“The unskippable animations for moving animals rapidly become tedious.”
“Grinding feels like a never-ending chore rather than an engaging part of the game.”
“The repetitive tasks required to level up make the gameplay feel monotonous.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Many users feel that the game's replayability significantly diminishes without expansions, as the lack of variation leads to a repetitive experience.
“The game offers a wealth of choices that make each playthrough feel unique and engaging.”
“With multiple endings and diverse character paths, I find myself coming back for more every time.”
“The random events and procedural generation keep the gameplay fresh, ensuring that no two sessions are ever the same.”
“Without the expansions, however, the game loses a lot of replay value as there's just barely any variation.”
“Once you've completed the main storyline, there's little incentive to play again since the outcomes don't change.”
“The lack of diverse gameplay mechanics makes it feel repetitive after just a few playthroughs.”