Terra Mystica

59%
Game Brain Score Based on 143 reviews
  • graphics
  • gameplay
  • stability
Terra Mystica Game Cover
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In Terra Mystica, players control one of 14 factions, each with unique abilities, seeking to develop and expand their territories on a dynamically changing game board. Through clever planning and resource management, players build structures, upgrade their faction's abilities, and complete quests to gain victory points. With a deep strategic experience and high replayability, Terra Mystica offers a challenging and engaging board game experience.

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Reviews

59%
Audience ScoreBased on 143 reviews
emotional1 positive mentions
stability8 negative mentions
  • The game is a faithful adaptation of the Terra Mystica board game, capturing its depth and complexity.
  • The AI opponents are challenging and provide a good way to practice strategies without the pressure of real opponents.
  • The graphics and sound design are appreciated, with nice artwork and thematic music for each faction.
  • The user interface is clunky and poorly designed, making it difficult to navigate and access important information.
  • There are numerous bugs and technical issues, including game freezes and slow AI turn times, which can disrupt gameplay.
  • The tutorial is inadequate, failing to effectively teach new players how to play the game, leading to confusion.
  • graphics13 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the artwork and faithful representation of the board game, while others criticize the visuals as outdated, blurry, and riddled with bugs. Many note that the animations are weak and distracting, reminiscent of early 2000s games, and express a desire for a graphics update, particularly for the PC version. Overall, the game's graphics seem to evoke nostalgia for some, but leave many feeling disappointed.

    • “The graphics are faithful to the board game, and the theme music for the factions is atmospheric and non-obtrusive.”
    • “The visuals are pretty on point, the optics are fine.”
    • “Seriously, this looks like it was directly ported from an iPhone, with the graphics scaled up proportionally (though thankfully done in higher resolution).”
    • “The graphics are a mess.”
    • “It's riddled with graphical bugs and typos, the animations are weak and robotic, and the UI feels like it was meant for an iPad.”
    • “Ugly graphics (very basic, feels like a game from the early 2000s) in general for the stuff not ripped from the game.”
  • gameplay12 mentions

    The gameplay is praised for its depth and complexity, offering a variety of mechanics such as worker placement and resource management that provide engaging challenges. However, players find the user interface unintuitive and overwhelming, making it difficult to learn the game’s intricate systems without trial and error. Despite these issues, the core mechanics are solid and keep players returning for more.

    • “This game keeps me coming back for more with its simple yet deep mechanics to try and milk a more successful game out of one of the many varied factions.”
    • “Deep, thought-provoking gameplay with little left to chance.”
    • “It is praised for its depth and complexity, a board game that incorporates a lot of mechanics such as worker placement, resource management, territorial dispute, timing, etc. It's a really well-done board game.”
    • “This game is amazing... if you can get around the terrible, unintuitive, and buggy UI as well as its complete lack of explanation of the game mechanics.”
    • “The various menus you must use for gameplay are very busy and overwhelming looking.”
    • “It just feels like a jumbled pile of random instructions that give no insight into the rules or mechanics of the game.”
  • stability8 mentions

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent freezes and glitches that disrupt gameplay, particularly during 'undo' actions and when facing high-level bots. Users have expressed frustration over the unintuitive user interface and lack of guidance, which further complicates the experience. Overall, the game's stability problems have led to a negative impact on user enjoyment.

    • “The game was extremely buggy with things that really impacted the game hugely.”
    • “There are some glitches, the game freezes, high-level bots take forever to go, which is frustrating.”
    • “It is March 2018 and this game still freezes.”
  • music7 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the atmospheric and faction-specific themes, others find the frequent changes annoying. Overall, the sound design is seen as a blend of nostalgic charm and modern gameplay, with some users noting that it enhances the experience despite some criticisms of its quality.

    • “The music is cool, and I liked the different faction themes.”
    • “I did like the music and the colors.”
    • “The theme music for the factions is atmospheric and non-obtrusive.”
    • “The graphics, music, and sound effects are subpar; they really remind me of the old 1980s terrible graphics and sound.”
    • “The music is forgettable and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged.”
    • “The sound design feels outdated and doesn't enhance the overall experience.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    The game suffers from significant optimization issues, including cumbersome menus that hinder gameplay and a slow pace. Additionally, it does not effectively utilize screen space, particularly on larger monitors, resulting in a less engaging experience.

    • “I played the tabletop version and bought this; it's really unoptimized. The menus are cumbersome and you need to pop them up to be able to play. There's no way to save, and the pace is way too slow.”
    • “The game's use of screen real estate is very unoptimized for large screen monitors.”
    • “Screen real estate is not optimized for PC monitors; it needs more game elements on-screen.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Users express frustration with the game's emotional impact, noting that the rushed transition from mobile to PC has detracted from the overall experience, making it difficult to engage with the story and characters due to poor user interface adaptation.

  • replayability1 mentions

    Players highlight the game's strong replayability, noting that it lingers in their thoughts even after they've finished playing, encouraging them to return for more.

    • “Lots of replayability -- the kind of game you think about after you close it for the night.”
    • “Each playthrough offers new challenges and experiences, making you want to dive back in.”
    • “The variety of choices and outcomes keeps the game fresh, encouraging multiple runs.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The atmosphere is enhanced by graphics that closely align with the board game, complemented by thematic music for the factions that is both atmospheric and unobtrusive.

    • “The graphics are faithful to the board game, and the theme music for the factions is atmospheric and non-obtrusive.”
  • humor1 mentions

    The game is noted for its humorous tone, particularly at the beginning, where players find the visuals and scenarios to be quite funny.

    • “The game starts off with a hilarious premise that sets the tone for the entire experience.”
    • “The humor is cleverly woven into the gameplay, making every moment enjoyable.”
    • “I found myself laughing out loud at the witty dialogue and absurd situations throughout the game.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect tedious, as they often have to wait several minutes for the AI to use power points, even with options to speed up animations.

    • “Even with the option to speed up animations, waiting minutes for the AI to spend a single power point per coin is still tedious.”
    • “The grinding feels endless, and the rewards don't justify the time spent.”
    • “I find myself doing the same repetitive tasks over and over, which makes the game feel more like a chore than fun.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

5hMedian play time
5hAverage play time
5-5hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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