Labyrinth: The War on Terror
- October 21, 2022
- Playdek, Inc.
Get on Steam"Labyrinth: The War on Terror" is a strategic board game adaptation, where players navigate the complexities of the post-9/11 world. As the U.S. or the Insurgency, manage resources, plan operations, and influence regional politics to secure your vision of peace. With multiple scenarios, dynamic events, and varied difficulties, each playthrough offers unique challenges and rewards.
Mac OS
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Reviews
- The game is highly strategic and offers a deep, immersive experience, similar to Twilight Struggle.
- Excellent adaptation of the board game with good graphical and audio implementation, making it engaging and replayable.
- Challenging gameplay that rewards strategic thinking, with a solid tutorial to help new players learn the mechanics.
- The AI implementation is lacking, with only a scripted bot available for the Jihadist player, leading to an unbalanced experience.
- The game suffers from bugs and performance issues, including freezing during play and problems with the tutorial.
- There is a steep learning curve, and the UI can be clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult for new players to grasp the game mechanics.
- gameplay16 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
Gameplay is characterized by complex card-driven mechanics that can initially feel chaotic and unintuitive, making it challenging for new players to grasp the rules even after extensive tutorials. While the game shares similarities with "Twilight Struggle," many players find it more complex, though some argue that its mechanics are ultimately easier to learn. Suggestions for improvement include clearer guidance on specific mechanics and the addition of expansion content to enhance the gameplay experience.
“These cool little alternative history stories come out, and frequently they arise out of the gameplay itself.”
“The implementation as DLC of the two expansions already existing so far would be an incredible addition, since they add more event cards and new mechanics, like the Arab Springs and the Islamic Caliphate.”
“It has similarities to Twilight Struggle, and though the general consensus is that this game is more complex than Twilight Struggle, I personally think if you forget about these similarities and treat it as a game in its own right, I believe that the mechanics of this game are easier to learn than Twilight Struggle.”
“After almost 2 hours in tutorials, I have not yet understood the mechanics of the game, however.”
“I think that there should be more high-level detail for new players regarding the purpose of some of the mechanics such as GWOT or hard vs soft approaches, but frankly the same could be said about the physical version of the game.”
“Game mechanics are unintuitive; at first, everything looks chaotic and it is very difficult.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics and audio implementation of the game are generally well-received, comparable to Playdek's previous titles like Twilight Struggle and Fort Sumter. However, there are subjective opinions on the need for visual improvements, and some in-game features, such as chat and music control, are reported to be malfunctioning.
“The game itself is awesome, one of the best asymmetric two-player board games out there, and the graphical and audio implementation is good, more or less on par with Playdek's work on Twilight Struggle and Fort Sumter.”
“Many visuals could be improved, and some features (chat, timer, music control in-game) are currently not working as they should.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its excellent optimization, featuring fast loading times and smooth performance. Users report that controls function well, including a useful undo feature, and there have been no crashes experienced.
“The game loads and plays really fast; it's well optimized.”
“Performance is good, controls work well (having undo in early access is great), and there have been no crashes so far.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is highly regarded for its replayability, with players noting that it remains engaging and avoids repetition, even in offline mode. Its interesting simulation of the war on terror contributes to its substantial replay value.
“Very replayable; it doesn't get repetitive even in offline mode.”
“Interesting simulation of the war on terror, and it has plenty of replay value.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, users report that while the game exhibits some visual glitches, these issues do not significantly detract from the experience, leading to high ratings despite the game's unfinished state. Stability is generally viewed positively, with some room for improvement.
“I have some gripes with it, but it's mainly just visual glitches and some recommendations.”
“Overall, I'd give it a 9/10, purely because of the visual glitches and the fact it's not finished yet.”
- story4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story revolves around a terror group maneuvering their cells globally, executing jihads in the Middle East, and strategizing against Western targets. Players engage in a complex narrative where the mechanics of plotting and executing actions are crucial, though some users suggest improvements for clarity in gameplay mechanics.
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game evokes a strong "Twilight Struggle" vibe, which some players appreciate, though the repetition of the same tracks has drawn criticism. Additionally, there are concerns about the functionality of in-game music controls alongside other features.
