Terra Mystica
- June 8, 2017
- DIGIDICED
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Apple StoreIn 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.
iPad
iPhone
Mac OS
PC
Phone
Windows
Linux
Mobile Platform
Tablet
Reviews
- The AI is challenging and provides a good way to practice strategies without the pressure of real opponents.
- The game is a faithful adaptation of the Terra Mystica board game, capturing its depth and complexity.
- The artwork and sound design are appreciated, adding to the overall atmosphere of the game.
- 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 freezing and slow AI turn times, which detract from the gameplay experience.
- The tutorial is inadequate, leaving new players confused about the game's mechanics and how to play effectively.
- graphics26 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative 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players appreciating the artwork and faithful representation of the board game, while others criticize the visuals as outdated and reminiscent of early 2000s games. Many mention issues such as blurred graphics, distracting animations, and numerous graphical bugs, suggesting a need for updates, particularly for the PC version. Overall, while there are elements that some find visually appealing, the consensus leans towards disappointment in the overall graphical quality.
“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.”
“I like the game graphically too.”
“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.”
- gameplay24 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its depth and complexity, featuring a variety of mechanics such as worker placement and resource management that provide engaging challenges. However, players note that the user interface is unintuitive and cluttered, making it difficult to learn the mechanics without trial and error. Despite its subpar graphics and sound, the game offers a rewarding experience for those willing to navigate its intricate systems.
“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.”
- stability16 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent freezes and glitches that disrupt gameplay, particularly during 'undo' actions and when playing against high-level bots. Users have reported that these bugs severely impact the overall experience, leading to frustration and a lack of intuitive guidance. Despite its potential, many players find the game's stability to be a major drawback.
“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.”
- music14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative 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 and reminiscent of outdated sound design. Overall, the sound animation is praised, but the quality of the music and sound effects is considered subpar by some, contrasting with the engaging gameplay.
“The graphics are faithful to the board game, and the theme music for the factions is atmospheric and non-obtrusive.”
“I liked the music for different factions though and the AI is alright (when it works).”
“Music/sound animation is fantastic.”
“The graphics, music, and sound effects are subpar, really reminds me of the old 1980s terrible graphics and sound.”
“The music is forgettable and doesn't add anything to the overall experience.”
“The soundtrack feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, including cumbersome menus that hinder gameplay and a lack of saving options. Additionally, it does not effectively utilize screen real estate, particularly on larger monitors, resulting in a slow-paced experience that feels cluttered and inefficient.
“The game's use of screen real estate is very unoptimized for large screen monitors.”
“Screen real estate not optimized for PC monitors, needs more game elements on-screen.”
“I played the tabletop version and bought this; it's really unoptimized, with cumbersome menus you need to pop up to be able to play, and there's no way to save. The pace is way too slow.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is overshadowed by its poor adaptation from mobile to PC, leading to frustration with the user interface and a lack of immersion. Players feel that the hurried conversion detracts from the overall experience, making it difficult to connect with the game's emotional narrative.
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players consistently highlight the game's high replayability, noting that it lingers in their thoughts long 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.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is enhanced by graphics that faithfully represent the board game, complemented by atmospheric and unobtrusive theme music for each faction.
“The graphics are faithful to the board game, and the theme music for the factions is atmospheric and non-obtrusive.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted to be particularly strong at the beginning, setting a comedic tone that engages players right from the start.
“Well, the game looks hilarious at the beginning.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect tedious, as even with options to speed up animations, they still face long wait times for the AI to process actions, which can detract from the overall experience.
“There is a way to speed up the animations, but I still have to wait minutes for the AI to spend a single power point per coin at a time, making the wait time a bit tedious.”
