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Scythe

Solid and definitely has an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.
Scythe Game Cover
86%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
stability, story
90% User Score Based on 2,640 reviews
Critic Score 70%Based on 1 reviews

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Scythe Game Cover

About

Scythe is a single player and multiplayer tactical turn-based strategy game with historical and science fiction themes. It was developed by The Knights of Unity and was released on September 5, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Scythe is a board game set in an alternate-history 1920s period. It is a time of farming and war, broken hearts and rusted gears, innovation and valor. In Scythe, each player represents a fallen leader attempting to restore their honor and lead their faction to power in Eastern Europa. Players conquer territory, enlist new recruits, reap resources, gain villagers, build structures, and activate mo…

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Scythe screenshot
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Scythe screenshot
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Scythe screenshot
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Scythe screenshot
Scythe screenshot
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90%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,640 reviews
gameplay66 positive mentions
stability47 negative mentions
  • Faithful and polished digital adaptation of the acclaimed board game faithfully capturing its artwork, music, and core mechanics.
  • The AI opponents provide a decent challenge for solo play, and online multiplayer enables play with friends or others remotely.
  • The digital version streamlines setup, scoring, and bookkeeping, making learning and playing more accessible and faster than the physical game.
  • User interface and controls can be clunky, unintuitive, and difficult to master especially for new players; no undo feature in multiplayer causes frustration due to irreversible misclicks.
  • The game has experienced bugs such as freezes, desynchronizations, skipped turns, and online connectivity problems causing lost games and bad user experience.
  • Developers have abandoned further development and expansions, with no plans to add remaining content, limiting replayability and disappointing fans.
  • gameplay
    189 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the digital edition faithfully replicates the complex and strategic mechanics of the original board game, offering deep strategy, smooth and intuitive controls, and high replayability. While the tutorial and UI can be initially confusing for newcomers and the digital interface has some quirks and minor annoyances, experienced players appreciate the streamlined management of game mechanics, balanced resource management, and fast-paced, engaging gameplay. Overall, it serves as both a solid adaptation for fans and a useful tool for learning the game's intricate systems.

    • “Developed by Dire Wolf Digital, this edition captures the rich thematic depth and complex mechanics of the physical game while enhancing the experience through intuitive interface design, AI opponents, and online multiplayer capabilities.”
    • “Tooltips and tutorials ease newcomers into the game’s mechanics, while advanced players can appreciate the depth and subtlety of the strategic options available.”
    • “The core gameplay is fantastic and implemented very well.”
    • “The tutorial is horrible for anyone not familiar with the actual boardgame and does not explain the game's numerous mechanics very well to the newcomer.”
    • “There is no way, however, in the digital version to find out what a 'player mat' is, or what a 'mechanical' player mat is vs. an 'agricultural' one.”
    • “The whole point of the game is to make simple things, like moving units, as convoluted and as difficult as possible, then sell it as 'gameplay'.”
  • graphics
    181 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the digital adaptation of Scythe receive consistent praise for faithfully capturing the original board game's beautiful, intricate artwork and distinctive dieselpunk/steampunk aesthetic by Jakub Różalski. While many appreciate the polished visuals, animations, and atmospheric music that enhance the world-building, some note that the UI and certain graphical elements feel dated, inconsistent, or incomplete—particularly on lower-end devices—and could benefit from updates for usability and greater clarity. Overall, the visuals strongly contribute to the game's appeal despite minor flaws in presentation and interface polish.

    • “Gorgeous adaptation of Jakub Różalski’s artwork.”
    • “The digital edition maintains the beautiful artwork and detailed illustrations that the physical board game is known for.”
    • “The graphics are superb and the developers have captured the elegance and visual appeal of the board game.”
    • “One might imagine that the digital medium would afford Scythe even more ease and vividness, but one would be imagining an adaptation that was not geared towards the most sluggish of smartphones: the graphics are crude, the figurines inanimate, and generally it all looks very state-of-the-art circa 2005; the viewscreen is cramped and the UI suffers accordingly, leading to an experience that is considerably less convenient and user-friendly than playing the physical board game.”
    • “The graphics have a number of oddities that seem to have missed approval from an art director, particularly inconsistencies in the fonts.”
    • “The graphics are mediocre and the UI is not the greatest, but this is a good enough port from the boardgame to a videogame.”
  • music
    117 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's music is widely praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, with many highlighting the distinctive faction soundtracks that enhance the overall experience. While most find the soundtrack fitting and enjoyable, a few users note repetitiveness and sound quality issues, though music can be turned off if desired. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant positive, often described as a compelling complement to the game's art and gameplay.

    • “Moreover, the game’s soundtrack and sound design complement the setting, with atmospheric music and satisfying audio cues that enhance immersion without distracting from gameplay.”
    • “Each faction has its own 20 minutes of music, each with its own very distinctive character, making each play-through feel immersive and quite different.”
    • “I also need to say that the soundtrack is absolutely magnificent, I would have paid for it but they give it for free with the game, which is a steal in my eyes.”
    • “The UI could use some significant quality of life improvements and the music sounds like it was recorded in a tin-can - even though the music itself is really nice.”
    • “The only drawback is probably music that repeats during games.”
    • “Finally, the music sounds like an old Civil War ballad which wouldn't be so bad, but it sounds like (and I think is) just one 6-minute song on repeat.”
  • stability
    52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from frequent bugs, crashes, freezes, and multiplayer desyncs, significantly impacting stability, especially in online play. While some players report a mostly glitch-free experience in single-player or local modes, the overall consensus highlights persistent issues that detract from smooth gameplay and require urgent patching.

    • “Pretty, bug free, and has multiplayer.”
    • “Solid graphics, no glitches for me.”
    • “No glitches or freezes so far.”
    • “The game freezes, crashes, desyncs frequently.”
    • “Absolutely needs to be patched for glitches; expect to quit more games than finish.”
    • “These are all deal breakers anytime they come up in actual play, especially freezes and dropped players with no ability to rejoin games.”
  • replayability
    45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers exceptional replayability driven by its multiple asymmetric factions, diverse combinations of mats, and varied paths to victory, resulting in nearly limitless strategic variety. Both single-player and multiplayer modes are engaging and balanced, with expansions further enhancing the depth and replay value. Overall, its complex mechanics and richly different setups keep the gameplay fresh and satisfying over many sessions.

    • “The factions are asymmetric, with 25 different faction/mat combos to try (49 with the expansion), leading to plenty of replay value even if you're only playing against bots, and nearly limitless replay value against other humans (the online lobby system is decent enough for finding people most of the time).”
    • “It is a lot simpler than it looks, and with the different combinations of mats and just how many ways there are to win, this game is infinitely replayable.”
    • “With 7 factions, random objectives and encounters, and multiple paths to victory, there is lots of replayability.”
    • “Other than that it's an interesting, if completely unexplained (experiment a lot by clicking on icons to see what actual options exist in game like to speed things up so you don't fall asleep between turns waiting for the computer to slowly take its actions) tactical game with limited replay value.”
    • “I wish it was more playable.”
    • “– I hope they eventually add the modular board to increase replayability.”
  • optimization
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Optimization reviews are mixed, with some users praising smooth performance and well-implemented optimization puzzles, especially for strategic planning without luck factors. However, several complaints highlight performance issues, including excessive GPU load, lag, and decreased functionality after updates, particularly on lower-end devices. Overall, the game runs well on capable hardware but could benefit from further performance improvements and enhanced AI optimization challenges.

    • “Strategic game with high level of optimization.”
    • “It is a game of optimization where you need to think at least 2 turns ahead.”
    • “There is a reasonably interesting optimization problem baked into Scythe that makes it worth sinking a few hours into.”
    • “Performance is terrible and the game puts an unreasonable load on the GPU for what it is.”
    • “Feel like some performance optimizations could be had for better experience.”
    • “The worst thing about the game is performance.”
  • story
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story setting offers an interesting backdrop with diverse factions and random missions, ensuring varied gameplay experiences. However, the narrative lacks depth and engagement due to minimal combat, communication, and a disjointed tutorial that isolates mechanics rather than building a cohesive story. Technical issues with tutorial interactions further hinder the storytelling and player immersion.

    • “The fact that you can play different factions with different strengths and weaknesses, and that the mission cards are random, means that no game is ever the same.”
    • “Between faction, player mat, missions, etc., the random elements here are endless.”
    • “Think secret missions in Risk.”
    • “Interesting story setting but no combat, no communication, just do your own business and the game suddenly ends.”
    • “What story does it tell?”
    • “More tutorial missions where you actually play the first few turns of a game in one continuous scenario or something to that effect would go a long way, versus the current iteration where you only get to play each mechanic in isolation.”
  • atmosphere
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its atmospheric and fitting music, sound design, and overall audio cues that enhance immersion. While the digital version struggles to fully replicate the tabletop experience due to UI and gameplay pacing issues, the soundtrack and visual elements successfully contribute to a strong thematic ambiance.

    • “Moreover, the game’s soundtrack and sound design complement the setting, with atmospheric music and satisfying audio cues that enhance immersion without distracting from gameplay.”
    • “Thoroughly enjoying this great boardgame, and the graphics, music and overall atmosphere only enhances the experience.”
    • “There's a lot here that adds to the tabletop experience including nice-looking miniatures, atmospheric soundtrack, and nice 3D touches.”
    • “I love the table version of this game a lot, but this digital version is just not able to replicate its atmosphere because of its incredibly inconvenient user interface and opponents' action monitoring.”
    • “Extra slow animation, but it recreates the atmosphere of the game accurately.”
  • grinding
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The digital version reduces some tedious aspects by automating calculations and tracking, but UI issues and disabled undo in multiplayer can make grinding frustrating, especially for new players. While it eases manual tasks compared to the in-person game, the gameplay can still feel unnecessarily slow and tedious over extended sessions. Technical problems like audio glitches may also contribute to a grinding experience.

    • “The digital version is more tedious than an in-person game since the undo button is greyed out in multiplayer, causing new players to make several mistakes navigating the labyrinth of UI mishaps.”
    • “Is it really just unnecessarily tedious Monopoly?”
    • “Which becomes very tedious if you're looking to play the game for any extended period of time.”
  • humor
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is generally appreciated for its cleverness and complexity, especially by fans of similar board games, though some find it lacking or confusing in the digital format. Overall, reactions to the humor aspect are mixed.

    • “If you like games such as Catan and are looking for a better, more complex, yet funny game, this is the one!”
  • monetization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization is perceived as a cash grab, with users criticizing the lack of ongoing development and persistent bugs. Additionally, the marketing approach, especially its focus on superficial advertising, detracts from the overall appeal.

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70%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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20h Median play time
31h Average play time
1h Main story
67h Completionist
9-30h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Scythe is a tactical turn-based strategy game with historical and science fiction themes.

Scythe is available on PC, Mac OS, Phone, iPad and others.

The main story can be completed in around 1 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 67 hours to finish. On average players spend around 31 hours playing Scythe.

Scythe was released on September 5, 2018.

Scythe was developed by The Knights of Unity.

Scythe has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its stability.

Scythe is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Root, Wingspan, Dune: Imperium, Spirit Island, Small World and others.