Catan Classic

About

Catan Classic is a strategy game that offers engaging mechanics, resource management, and the chance to become a conquering explorer and merchant. However, it does have some issues with bugs and requires a lot of grinding. Embark on a journey to settle the island of Catan, competing against others to expand and grow your settlement. It's a fun and challenging gameplay experience that keeps you coming back for more.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

72%

Audience ScoreBased on 5,808 reviews

gameplay40 positive mentions

stability372 negative mentions

The graphics and mechanics of the game are nice, providing a faithful adaptation of the board game.
The game offers a lot of replay value and can be played offline, making it convenient for various situations.
The ability to play with friends online adds a fun and competitive element to the game.

The AI cheats and often targets the human player, making it frustrating to play against them.
The game frequently crashes or freezes, especially when moving the robber or during online play.
Many users report issues with the app not downloading necessary updates or additional data, rendering it unplayable.

stability
377 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
1%
99%
The game's stability is a significant concern among users, with many reporting frequent crashes and freezes during gameplay, particularly when specific actions are taken or certain numbers are rolled. While some users note improvements in stability after updates, the overall consensus is that the app remains highly buggy, making it frustrating and often unplayable. Many players express disappointment, stating that these issues detract from an otherwise enjoyable gaming experience.
- “Encountered no glitches yet.”
- “Runs great.”
- “Runs great on Samsung Charge.”
- “I wish I could give this game 0 stars because of how buggy and ineffective it was.”
- “The game freezes all the time, kicks me out of online games, and restarts my phone.”
- “I love this game, but it freezes and crashes during online play a lot.”
gameplay
133 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
62%
8%
Gameplay in the game is generally described as enjoyable and true to the original board game, with solid mechanics and various modes that require different strategies. However, many users report significant issues with AI predictability, biased mechanics, and frequent bugs that disrupt the experience, particularly in online play. While some find the gameplay addictive and engaging, others express frustration over crashes, complicated controls, and the need for in-app purchases to access additional content.
- “Gameplay is intuitive and true to the game.”
- “The gameplay itself was also good.”
- “Gameplay is seamless and really fun.”
- “Seems designed to be hard to play unless you have every card and mechanic already memorized, know exactly what resources and cards you have at any given time, and never look away from the screen.”
- “Gameplay is overly complicated and holds none of the fun that a classic board game with friends would provide.”
- “The computer characters are never willing to trade; the main gameplay aspect is broken.”
graphics
131 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
70%
11%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the charming visuals and smooth animations, while others criticize the pixelation, small text, and frequent glitches that hinder gameplay. Many users report issues with graphics scaling on various devices, leading to frustration, especially on tablets and high-resolution screens. Overall, while there are moments of visual appeal, significant improvements are needed to enhance clarity and stability.
- “The visuals and music feel relaxing while I get to enjoy a game of strategy.”
- “The graphics are great, the play is smooth but online needs to be worked on, especially before you launch cities and knights.”
- “The game looks great, the animations are slick, the characters are funny and often deliver tongue-in-cheek lines, and the graphics are faithful to the original hex design.”
- “Graphics are shocking and it's so much more confusing with how it's all set up.”
- “Later in the game the graphics break and it is unplayable.”
- “Poor graphics, very pixelated.”
monetization
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
78%
14%
The monetization model of the game has drawn significant criticism, with many users feeling that a large portion of the content is locked behind in-app purchases, making the initial purchase feel inadequate. Players express frustration over having to pay additional fees for essential features and expansions, leading to perceptions of the game as a "cash grab." While some acknowledge the value of the expansions relative to their physical counterparts, the overall sentiment is that the monetization strategy detracts from the experience, especially when ads are present in a paid app.
- “In-app purchases include various expansions to the base game that add a lot of variety to the gameplay.”
- “Incredibly fun and you can absolutely play without in-game purchases.”
- “Although I usually hate in-app purchases, I know what the board game itself costs and the expansions for the app are a relative steal.”
- “I install the game to find that the huge majority of the content is locked and an in-app purchase is needed.”
- “This is not ok when you're charging $5 for an app and have in-app purchases on top of that.”
- “You purchase the game then they charge you again for purchasing the other 80% of the game via in-app purchases.”
optimization
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users expressing dissatisfaction regarding its performance on various devices, particularly high-resolution screens and tablets. While some players report smooth gameplay on certain models, others highlight significant bugs, crashes, and a lack of optimization for larger displays, indicating that further improvements are needed for a better user experience. Overall, the app is seen as under-optimized, especially for high DPI and tablet devices.
- “The interface is intuitive and the game runs smoothly.”
- “In terms of its technical performance, its graphics are quick, snappy, clean, readable, and without glitch as far as I've seen on the Galaxy S II.”
- “The app runs smoothly and is true to the award-winning board game.”
- “The basic Catan game is fine and true to the original board game, but the campaign expansions are poorly optimized for Android and buggy.”
- “Extremely unoptimized app!”
- “This game is not optimized to take advantage of the Galaxy Nexus's extra screen resolution, and a lot of the game board is shrunken down and hard to read due to that.”
music
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
71%
14%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many users appreciating its relaxing quality and integration with gameplay. However, numerous reports highlight significant technical issues, including audio lag, stuttering, and instances where the visuals fail to load, leaving players with only the music playing against a black screen. These problems detract from the overall experience, leading to frustration among users.
- “The app has great music and great gameplay.”
- “Graphics and music are rock solid.”
- “Music and graphics are great too.”
- “If you mute the sound in the settings menu and then turn on the music and effects again, the audio lags and it sounds terrible.”
- “The music and sound have a jutter issue of some sort along with an echo sound that renders all audio unbearable to turn on.”
- “Whenever I go to enter this app the first time it will always force quit on me, and then the music will keep playing while I am at the home screen and causes the whole phone to freeze up.”
story
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing disappointment over the lack of a dedicated story mode and the necessity of purchasing expansions to access additional narrative content. Users have also noted issues with mission progression and the simplistic nature of the plot, while some have criticized the use of gendered pronouns in the narrative. Overall, the story is seen as limited and lacking complexity, prompting requests for more missions and a more cohesive narrative experience.
- “So I spent $6.29 on buying all expansions, which added a lot of story mode.”
- “I would enjoy seeing some more missions and expansions.”
- “The campaign mode's plot is ridiculous, but otherwise fine.”
- “I was disappointed that it didn't include the story mode... so I spent $1.29 on a single expansion pack.”
- “Still no story mode.”
- “Considering the limited story and lack of complexity between NPCs, this seems ridiculous that they aren't included.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
8%
25%
Overall, Catan classic is praised for its high replayability, with many users highlighting its engaging gameplay that encourages repeated play. However, some players express frustration with the single-player experience, noting that it can diminish replay value due to perceived biases. Suggestions for enhancing replayability include introducing random board setups in paid expansions.
- “Excellent game, with loads of replayability.”
- “Average game lasts from 15-50 minutes, and has great replay value.”
- “Without such a single player enhancement, the game as it stands at the moment is not value for money, especially since replayability is too frustrating with the apparent die roll bias against the single player.”
- “Kills any replay value.”
- “Catan classic is my go-to game on a weekend morning; loads of replay value.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to resource management challenges and frustrating mechanics like the robber consistently targeting them. The user interface is also criticized for adding unnecessary steps, such as a cumbersome username confirmation process, which detracts from the overall experience. Additionally, the lack of a campaign mode without further in-app purchases has left some users feeling that the game is overpriced for its content.
- “It gets very tedious when all of your resources are stolen, and of course, the material you need most.”
- “As a response to the same tedious reply from the developer, I am at medium difficulty, not in the lead, and they won't trade with me, and the robber is always being moved to my hex.”
- “This makes the campaign tedious because I must always wait to trade with the bank.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the witty character animations and tongue-in-cheek dialogue, others find the game's mechanics—particularly the biased dice rolls—frustratingly unfunny. The overall presentation, including cheap components and a lackluster app experience, adds to the comedic critique from users. Despite these issues, some players still enjoy the humor found in the game's quirks and character interactions.
- “Now I can play a very funny Catan on my phone.”
- “The game looks great, the animations are slick, the characters are funny and often deliver tongue-in-cheek lines, and the graphics are faithful to the original hex design.”
- “Just to humor myself, I attempted to trade all of my other resources for just one and they all refused.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional response to the game's intense strategic elements, often feeling a mix of anticipation and frustration. The unpredictability of gameplay, particularly with dice rolls, can lead to moments of despair, especially when luck seems to favor opponents. Additionally, technical issues, such as freezing, can further heighten emotional tension during critical moments.
- “Hair-raising, edge-of-your-seat game has me in an emotional war of anticipation; definitely makes you strategize.”
- “While I understand that the same number has the same chance to come up when dice are rolled, I cried foul when the seventh 11 in a row was rolled and it was the only number I did not have a city or settlement on.”
- “There is no appealing to the emotional side of the AI.”