Charterstone: Digital Edition
- March 26, 2020
- Mobo Studio
- 42h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Apple Store"Charterstone: Digital Edition" is a digital adaptation of the acclaimed board game, where players construct the Eternal City over the course of a campaign with high replayability. Each game in the campaign has its own rules and objectives, with decisions carrying over and impacting the game's outcome. With no negative player interactions, the game encourages strategic planning and collaboration.
iPad
iPhone
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Phone
Windows
Linux
Mobile Platform
Tablet
Reviews
- Great implementation of the board game with beautiful graphics and smooth gameplay.
- The digital version allows for faster play and easier management of game elements compared to the physical version.
- The game offers a nostalgic experience for fans of the original board game, with engaging mechanics and a fun campaign.
- The game suffers from poor tutorials and unclear mechanics, making it difficult for new players to understand the rules.
- There are numerous bugs and glitches, particularly in multiplayer mode, which can disrupt gameplay and lead to frustrating experiences.
- The user interface can be confusing, with important information hidden and difficult to access, leading to a steep learning curve.
- gameplay25 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this board game is engaging and rewarding, featuring innovative mechanics that evolve over a 12-game campaign, allowing for diverse strategies and choices. While the core mechanics are intuitive, new players may face a steep learning curve due to limited tutorials and occasional bugs in the software. Overall, the game is well-received for its fun and interactive nature, though some players have experienced issues with campaign progression and interface usability.
“Nice graphics, great implementation of the rules, loved the gameplay.”
“While the core mechanic of the game stays the same, the buildings and combos that get added to the board over the course of the 12-game campaign create a wealth of interesting choices and strategies.”
“Gameplay itself is fun, interactive, challenging, and rewarding.”
“So overall, this game is not for those who want to clearly understand mechanics based on description and rules before going into it.”
“I encountered a couple of minor gameplay bugs, but more importantly, I've tried to play through the campaign twice now and each time my campaign was corrupted and became unplayable. The game gives you no way to move forward; the main GUI elements are there but nothing to actually play a turn or move to the next one. I should have asked for a refund the first time this happened; now I've played more than 2 hours and Steam is refusing to refund me.”
“There are almost no tutorials or help for many mechanics; it's really brutal for new players.”
- story15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The story in the game is described as simple and somewhat superficial, with players often feeling disconnected from the narrative due to poorly explained game elements and NPC decisions that obscure plot developments. While the digital version enhances the storytelling experience compared to the physical board game, many players find it challenging to track the evolving story and its associated rules in a legacy format. Overall, the storyline adds a layer of fun and competitiveness, but it may not leave a lasting impression.
“Very glad I purchased this digital copy, I think I have a decent grasp on the game now, and am looking forward to seeing where the story goes.”
“Expect a very simple game at first, which will accelerate in complexity and depth as the storyline progresses, with new ways to supplement your strategy unlocking with new rules and objectives.”
“Never played the physical version and I'm really enjoying how this game's story unfolds while playing the campaign; the physical version must be a joy to play, building the board with the stickers and the rules slowly unfolding.”
“My only real criticism with the digital implementation is that you will miss the story or prompts for any ending when an NPC chooses the outcome.”
“Every time an NPC met the charter goal, I had no idea what they chose or what was going on with the story and couldn't find a way to read the story that I missed.”
“I didn't have high expectations for the end after a few games as I had no connection through the story (lack of) but even then I was disappointed and left feeling, oh well at least I have seen it and don't have to suffer further games.”
- stability15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- -13 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with users reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and various bugs, particularly in the multiplayer mode. While some players note improvements following patches, many still feel the game was released in a notably unstable state, suggesting it was not ready for launch. Overall, the experience remains inconsistent, with significant issues persisting despite ongoing updates.
“Playing a single game or a series is easy and bug-free.”
“The game runs smoothly without any crashes or glitches.”
“I appreciate how stable the online multiplayer experience is.”
“Very buggy game, crashes several times.”
“This implementation is very buggy for multiplayer.”
“However, this feels like it shouldn't have left the alpha stage yet, it's so buggy.”
- graphics13 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 23 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beauty and attention to detail, effectively capturing the charm of the original board game. Players appreciate the clean interface and vibrant artwork, which enhance the overall experience, although some note that the music can become repetitive. Overall, the visual presentation is considered a standout feature, contributing to the game's appeal as a polished adaptation.
“Follows the board game faithfully, works well, very pretty graphics.”
“Add in the lovely graphics and clean interface and this is one of the best board game adaptations I have ever played.”
“I love the attention to detail, beautiful artwork, and soothing music!”
“The graphics are as charming as the board game (which is charming), the gameplay is eclectic and lively, and the music is nice even if you'll wind up muting it soon after your first run simply because it's not varied, and you'll hear it far too much.”
“Like the actual board game, it looks like a children's game (not only visuals, but also the music and the app-like appearance of every new item).”
“Fourth campaign played all the way through with no problems (easy mode and reduced graphics).”
- music12 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its soothing and relaxing qualities, enhancing the overall atmosphere with pleasant melodies and charming themes. While many players appreciate the attention to detail in the soundtrack, some note that the lack of variety may lead to it becoming repetitive over time. Overall, the music complements the game's art style and mood effectively, contributing positively to the player experience.
“The music is also well done and soothing.”
“I love the attention to detail, beautiful artwork, and soothing music!”
“The hard AI is strong, and the background music sets the mood perfectly.”
“Like the actual board game, it looks like a children's game (not only visuals, but also the music and the app-like appearance of every new item).”
- replayability5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The digital adaptation of the board game significantly enhances replayability through its campaign system, allowing players to engage in multiple campaigns with different participants. Users note that each playthrough offers a distinct experience, making it more replayable than its physical counterpart. Overall, the game is praised for its ability to provide varied gameplay in a relatively short time.
“Since it's digital, you can play multiple campaigns with different people, adding to the replayability.”
“I couldn't believe that I went through a whole campaign in just a few hours; good thing it is very different every time you play it, making it highly replayable!”
“This board game works much better and is far more replayable as an electronic version than as a physical board game.”
“Since it's digital, you can play multiple campaigns with different people, adding replayability.”
“Fairly faithful adaptation of the board game, and much more replayable.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players find the end-of-turn gating somewhat tedious, but appreciate the improvements in automated bookkeeping that prevent the game from slowing down while searching for cards. Overall, the grinding aspect is seen as manageable, though not without its minor frustrations.
“Automated bookkeeping is always nice, and the game not grinding to a halt while people find the right cards in the box is a huge improvement.”
“The end-of-turn gating is a bit tedious, but I'm not sure what the best workaround would have been.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, users report that the game runs smoothly, indicating effective optimization and a positive gameplay experience.
“So far, everything runs smoothly, and the game is great.”
