Splendor

About

Splendor is a single player and multiplayer casual turn-based strategy game. It was developed by Days of Wonder and was released on September 17, 2015. It received positive reviews from players.

Splendor is the official digital adaptation of the popular board game, where you play as a rich merchant during the Renaissance. The game features awesome mechanics, pretty visuals, and smooth gameplay with optional split-screen multiplayer. It has received numerous awards and high praise from critics for its high replay value and top-notch adaptation from tabletop to mobile.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

+11

Skip User Reviews

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 940 reviews

gameplay20 positive mentions

stability64 negative mentions

Faithfully emulates the board game and is fun to play, offering a good mix of strategy and accessibility.
The game is easy to learn and has a variety of challenges that keep it interesting.
Great graphics and a relaxing atmosphere make it enjoyable for both solo and multiplayer experiences.

The online multiplayer feature is often buggy, with frequent disconnections and issues with server availability.
There is a forced turn timer that cannot be disabled, which can disrupt gameplay, especially in casual settings.
The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including crashes and glitches that hinder the overall experience.

stability
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
The game is widely criticized for its instability, with numerous users reporting frequent bugs and glitches that significantly hinder gameplay, especially in online modes. While some players find the issues tolerable, many express frustration over the persistent technical problems, leading to a generally negative perception of the app's stability. Overall, the game's implementation is seen as lacking, despite its strong foundational mechanics.
- “It runs great on this platform.”
- “However, this app is terrible and incredibly buggy.”
- “The most buggy game I have ever played.”
- “The game has so much going for it in principle - a great card game and well executed, but a buggy implementation that users have been complaining about for months.”
gameplay
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
52%
6%
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of experiences, with some praising the clean mechanics and smooth play that faithfully replicate the board game, while others criticize the clunky card selection process and lack of in-game rules. The game offers potential for strategic depth and nostalgia, but issues like a mandatory timer and gameplay bugs detract from the overall experience. Expansions are noted as beneficial, yet the game may not appeal to those seeking casual achievement hunting or a seamless solo experience.
- “The expansions bring a great addition to the gameplay.”
- “Clean game mechanics and smooth play!”
- “The gameplay itself is a solid recreation, with a nice graphic design.”
- “The mechanics to choose cards and reserve are simply bad.”
- “No rules in the game, even for the mechanics.”
- “Ultimately, I found it to be an inferior game because the real mechanics aren't to make smart plays to grow your tableau, though you would be forgiven for thinking that.”
graphics
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
36%
14%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful artwork and polished visuals that evoke a renaissance theme, while others criticize poor performance on larger screens and various graphical bugs. Some players find the graphics to be decent but lacking flair, and there are complaints about slow loading times and a subpar user interface. Overall, the visuals are generally appreciated for their aesthetic appeal, though technical issues detract from the experience for some users.
- “With its beautiful artwork and tactile gem tokens, Splendor is as visually appealing as it is intellectually stimulating.”
- “The high definition UI and card graphics successfully remain true to the original game, and there's some added value in the form of crafty AI opponents, achievements, and a handful of single-player challenge packs.”
- “Visuals: 8/10 - slick, polished, glittery, and makes you really feel like a renaissance gem merchant!”
- “Everything is moving really slow, the game can't handle full-screen on large screens, and graphics are frankly very poor.”
- “Cons - slow loading, awful graphics, horrible user interface and unreadable fonts.”
- “Buggy -- lots of graphics bugs.”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
59%
14%
The music in the game features a relaxing, renaissance-inspired theme dominated by harps and lutes, which many players find enjoyable and fitting for the atmosphere. However, some users note that the music can become repetitive over time, leading to a desire to turn it off. Additionally, there are concerns about the music volume settings not functioning properly, affecting the overall audio experience.
- “The graphics are warm and relaxing, and the medieval harp music theme that plays doesn't seem to wear out its welcome.”
- “The visuals are very nice, the music is appropriately 'renaissance-esque', and the play is fairly fast-paced, with a match able to be completed in anywhere from 20-30 minutes, or perhaps a little longer if the players need to think about a particular action.”
- “And this is silly, but the repeating background music makes my boyfriend and I move to the rhythm and laugh while we are in an all-out war against each other.”
- “Other problems are more severe however, like the fuzzy or sometimes missing text on the challenge menus, the overly repetitive music and the lack of difficulty settings for the AI players.”
- “The renaissance-era music in the background is heavy on the harps and lutes, and it's nice for a while but eventually I turned it off, as it does get to be pretty repetitive after some time.”
- “I'm not sure if the music volume setting is actually working or not, since I have it down to 20% and the music in-game is still louder than sound effects which are at 75%, which seems a bit odd.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The game is praised for its exceptional replayability, offering simple rules that make it accessible while providing depth for mastery. Players appreciate the quick gameplay and the ability to engage with different strategies and scenarios, making it a great choice for both casual and competitive play. Overall, it is seen as a game that can be enjoyed repeatedly without losing its charm.
- “It is a short, quick game with endless replayability.”
- “Amazingly simple, yet difficult to master, this game has replayability out the wazoo.”
- “If you want easy distraction that is replayable forever, then this is the game for you.”
- “A nice card game with simple rules, but endless replayability.”
- “It is a short quick game with endless replayability.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is well-received, with players finding it amusing and enjoyable, particularly during the short 30-minute matches that encourage laughter and social interaction. This lighthearted atmosphere makes it an ideal choice for casual gaming sessions with friends.
- “Being only about 30 minutes per match, it's perfect for laughing, chatting, and passing the time until your entire group is on, and players are obviously going to be a much greater challenge.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The game's optimization has been heavily criticized, with multiple users reporting that performance issues render it unplayable on various machines.
- “Just pure optimization.”
- “Sadly, the performance renders the game absolutely unplayable on any of my machines.”
- “Sadly, the performance renders the game absolutely unplayable on any of my machines.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate that the digital version of the game eliminates the tedious grinding associated with the physical card game, such as counting and managing gems, making for a smoother and more enjoyable experience. Overall, the removal of these repetitive tasks enhances the gameplay significantly.
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I find the grinding aspect to be a major drawback; it takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”
- “The amount of time required for grinding is excessive and detracts from the overall experience.”