Brass: Birmingham
- December 1, 2021
- Cublo
- 9h median play time
Get on Steam"Brass: Birmingham" is a strategic economic board game set in the industrial revolution. Players compete as entrepreneurs, building and managing industries, railways, and canals to expand their businesses and earn victory points. The game features a unique hand-management mechanic and encourages strategic decision-making, with gameplay that is both challenging and rewarding.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Excellent port from the board game with great graphics and smooth performance for solo play.
- The game is a fantastic adaptation that helps players learn the rules and strategies effectively.
- The AI provides a decent challenge for solo play, making it a good option for practicing strategies.
- Online play is completely broken, with frequent errors and disconnects making it nearly unplayable.
- The AI is often too easy to beat, lacking depth and variability in its strategies.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and interface issues, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- stability50 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 92 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, particularly in online play, which is plagued by frequent bugs, freezes, and server issues. While some players report improvements after updates, many still find the experience frustrating, especially for multiplayer sessions. Overall, the implementation is well-received, but the persistent technical glitches hinder its full potential.
“When the game is consistent, when it's not buggy, it's still a good implementation of one of the best board games around.”
“Not buggy for me.”
“The game constantly freezes, forcing you to leave/join multiple times to get the game state updated.”
“Still can't recommend it for multiplayer, which is most of the fun, because the game frequently glitches, fails to save the turn, or just fails to log in.”
“Constant server issues and glitches.”
- graphics34 mentions
- 82 % positive mentions
- 12 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many users praising the beautiful artwork, strong visuals, and smooth performance. The aesthetic presentation and user interface are noted as well-designed and engaging, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience. However, some users mentioned issues with usability, despite the graphics being described as superb and a fitting tribute to the original board game art.
“The presentation of the game is very good, the artwork is very nice and the theme really works.”
“Cublo's implementation of Brass Birmingham has a lot of positives going for it -- very strong visuals, good UI animations, and a solid feel.”
“This digital version uses the gorgeous revamped art style from the Roxley game.”
“Great game, pretty graphics, nice music, bad implementation, terrible usability.”
“The graphics are adequate.”
- gameplay26 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the digital adaptation of Brass: Birmingham has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its fidelity to the original board game and its ability to help newcomers learn the mechanics, while others criticize significant issues such as the need to restart the game to progress and poorly developed AI that lacks challenge. Despite these drawbacks, the game offers a streamlined experience that enhances strategic focus, making it a worthwhile option for both new and experienced players looking to explore deeper strategies. Overall, while the gameplay captures the essence of the board game, it still requires improvements, particularly in AI development and technical stability.
“Deep play arising from surprisingly simple mechanics.”
“This game is excellent for folks looking to learn the game of Brass: Birmingham, or for those who are familiar with the game already but want to delve a little deeper into its mechanics and explore effective strategies without having to organize a number of in-person sessions with friends.”
“Birmingham adds a few clever tweaks which add more variety to the proceedings, keeping the strategy fresh with variable set-up elements and alternative industries while maintaining the core mechanics of the original.”
“The gameplay is terrible; every time each player needs to play, you need to leave the game and join again to force the game to advance to your turn.”
“The AI gameplay is rubbish right now and is far from developed - far too easy (even on the expert level) and predictable - maybe it is good for beginners to learn the mechanics of the game.”
“There are still a few minor bugs, but you get the essence of the gameplay.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players highlight the game's high replayability, noting that once they grasp the complex mechanics, there is a wealth of content to explore. The ongoing improvements during early access have further enhanced its playability, making it an increasingly engaging experience.
“Great game with high replay value.”
“In early access it is now more playable after a few patches and as the developers continue to iron out bugs, this is becoming a great adaptation.”
“This game has tons of replayability.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is consistently praised for its atmospheric quality, enhancing the overall experience. While the graphics and user interface are also noted positively, some users express concerns about the game's implementation and usability.
“The game is actually really close to the board game and the music is atmospheric!”
“The graphics and music are nice, the UI is well made and easy to understand.”
“Great game, pretty graphics, nice music.”
“Great game, pretty graphics, nice music, bad implementation, terrible usability.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its smooth performance and impressive graphics, indicating effective optimization that enhances the overall gameplay experience.
“Runs smoothly, great graphics.”
“Beyond that, here are my notes about gameplay optimization:”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its strong thematic elements and immersive music, closely aligning with the original board game experience. Reviewers consistently highlight the game's ability to create a captivating and engaging environment.
“The game is actually really close to the board game and the music is atmospheric!”
“Very thematic and atmospheric.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to the lengthy setup and operations involved, which can slow down gameplay. The experience improves significantly when using a computer to handle these tedious tasks, allowing for a smoother and more efficient game flow.
“The 3-player game took longer than the 4-player game at the table, including the tedious setup of the player boards.”
“Brass really benefits from having the computer perform tedious operations, such as counting money spent to determine the next turn order, or visualizing your network and building options.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by the potential for amusing disputes over rules and scorekeeping, suggesting that gameplay can lead to entertaining interactions among players. This aspect adds a lighthearted and engaging element to the overall experience.
“I am tempted to buy the board game, and I can imagine it takes far longer to play and involves some hilarious disputes over the rules and totting up the scores.”
