Twilight Struggle

About

Twilight Struggle is a single player and multiplayer casual strategy game. It was developed by Playdek, Inc. and was released on April 13, 2016. It received positive reviews from players.

"Twilight Struggle" is a strategic board game that simulates the Cold War from the 1950s to the 1990s, where players choose to control either the U.S or U.S.S.R, competing in political influence and coup attempts worldwide. The game's event cards are based on historical events, adding realism and depth to the gameplay. Triggering a nuclear war, however, leads to a sudden end for the players.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Skip User Reviews

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,578 reviews

gameplay52 positive mentions

stability56 negative mentions

Faithful adaptation of the classic board game, capturing the tension and strategy of the Cold War.
Great user interface that simplifies gameplay by automating many of the bookkeeping tasks.
Highly replayable with a strong online community, making it easy to find opponents.

AI is often predictable and can make poor decisions, making it less challenging for experienced players.
Frequent bugs and performance issues, particularly on certain systems, can disrupt gameplay.
The learning curve can be steep for newcomers, and the tutorial may not cover all nuances of the game.

gameplay
206 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
70%
5%
The gameplay of "Twilight Struggle" is characterized by its deep strategic mechanics and thematic integration of Cold War events, offering a complex yet rewarding experience once players grasp the rules. While the card-driven mechanics create engaging tension and require careful hand management, new players may initially find the learning curve steep and the interface somewhat frustrating. Overall, the game is praised for its addictive nature and historical accuracy, though some casual players may experience limited replayability and frustration due to reliance on luck.
- “I've always been interested in the Cold War and loved the way I was able to play with real-world events - this, combined with the captivating gameplay, makes for a game that always has you coming back for more, even after a loss.”
- “Deep strategic gameplay: Twilight Struggle offers a surprisingly deep and layered experience despite its seemingly simple card-driven mechanics.”
- “The mechanics of this game are superb and perfectly encapsulate the feeling of brinksmanship in the Cold War, in a manner I would not have thought possible by a board game.”
- “Limited replayability for casual players: while hardcore fans can endlessly explore strategy nuances, casual players might find the core gameplay loop repetitive after a certain number of games.”
- “I'm going for a refund even if it's like 4€ because someone misunderstood frustration for challenge and I'm fed up with punitive gameplay based on RNG, and when a single random roll can condemn your entire game, it's a crappy game to play.”
- “Gaming program is void of any real help or explanation of gameplay and nothing is explained during play.”
music
84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
55%
7%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance immersion, effectively capturing the tension of the Cold War through a combination of original soundtracks and historical speech excerpts. However, some players note that the soundtrack can become repetitive after extended play, and there are calls for more variety and options to customize the music experience. Overall, the sound design significantly contributes to the game's thematic depth, making it an engaging experience.
- “The music that progresses in time as the game does, with the ambient speeches and noises, really makes the game enjoyable.”
- “On top of all that, this digital version has a sinister soundtrack that helps establish the tension and foreboding of the Cold War.”
- “The music and clips of political speeches echoing in the background really add to the ambiance of the Cold War setting.”
- “Finally, considering they had a budget of nearly $400,000, I scratch my head to why this game only has 4 soundtracks (two of which are national anthems, they all loop every minute or less), which sound like they've been made on Guitar Pro 6?”
- “The new music is not good!”
- “The interface looks nice and animations are cool enough, although the music got a little repetitive after only a few turns.”
stability
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
6%
88%
The game's stability has received significant criticism, with many users reporting frequent freezes, crashes, and various glitches that hinder gameplay, particularly on macOS. While some players have experienced smooth performance without issues, the overall consensus indicates that the game is currently plagued by bugs that make it unplayable for many, especially in online modes. There are calls for improvements and polishing to address these stability concerns.
- “It plays on my machine just fine, no glitches, no freezes.”
- “The game is a faithful translation of the rules, and it is mostly bug free and runs very well.”
- “It plays on my machine just fine, no glitches, no freezes.”
- “Used to be a great game, but now it's just unplayable; it freezes on single player and I cannot play online.”
- “The digital version sometimes freezes between turns for up to 30 seconds on my MacBook Pro 2020.”
- “Horribly buggy, crashes frequently, and a seemingly random AI make this game a waste of my time.”
replayability
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
36%
7%
Overall, the game boasts high replayability, particularly for strategic enthusiasts, thanks to its diverse card deck, multiple scoring conditions, and well-balanced gameplay. While hardcore players can delve into its complexities, casual gamers may find the experience repetitive after several sessions. The inclusion of affordable DLC further enhances replay value, making it a compelling choice for both history and board game fans.
- “High replayability: with a large deck of cards and multiple scoring conditions, each game of Twilight Struggle plays differently.”
- “Outstanding replayability, great historical depth, heart-pounding anticipation each turn, and it gets the gears upstairs turning like few other games.”
- “A great strategy game, almost indefinitely replayable.”
- “Limited replayability for casual players: while hardcore fans can endlessly explore strategy nuances, casual players might find the core gameplay loop repetitive after a certain number of games.”
- “If you don't intend to master the game, there is not a lot of replayability.”
- “I almost refunded because it was a bit boring and seemed like it wouldn't have much replay value.”
graphics
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
71%
10%
The graphics of the game are a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the crisp card and map visuals that effectively convey the historical setting, while others criticize the bare-bones art style and various graphical bugs, particularly in menus. Although the game is well-optimized for touchscreen devices, it suffers from performance issues that can overheat graphics cards. Overall, while the graphics serve their purpose, many feel that a more artistic touch and better optimization could significantly enhance the experience.
- “The cards, artwork, and mechanics effectively convey the period's tension and paranoia, drawing players into the historical setting.”
- “Excellent rendition of the graphics and gameplay, plus a haunting soundtrack with real Cold War soundbites for effect.”
- “Beautiful graphics, good UI, no typical glitchiness or awkwardness, an artsy package, made with good taste.”
- “You can't scroll on menus like options, when you get into the game, the card movements are dog slow and when the cards leave the board area, they form that trailing shadow graphic problem, turns aren't resolving, etc. None of these problems existed when I last loaded this game up about 8 months ago.”
- “The art and graphics are bare bones which is fine for the most part, they function as intended but I feel some artistic flair could have helped sell the game a bit more since this is a digital version.”
- “The game is poorly optimized and heats up your graphic cards more than The Witcher 3 with full-on graphics.”
atmosphere
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
34%
12%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its effective capture of the Cold War tension, enhanced by a compelling soundtrack and evocative sound design. Players find the integration of political speech excerpts immersive and non-intrusive, contributing to a chillingly compelling experience that reflects the ideological struggles of the era. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as both tense and engaging, making it a standout feature.
- “But the cold war atmosphere is palpable.”
- “This implementation is solid, the atmosphere is pleasant (the music and voice clips hit just the right tone) and the game progresses efficiently.”
- “A tour de force of mechanics and atmosphere; a few rounds of this cold war thriller left me both fascinated and perhaps a little disturbed - the concept of two superpowers gaming the rest of the world while locked in an ideological death struggle is chillingly compelling.”
- “It captures the tense atmosphere of the cold war in a simple board game format.”
- “Nails the atmosphere of the cold war.”
optimization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
36%
21%
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it runs smoothly on PC without crashes or stuttering, users have reported significant performance issues on Mac, particularly with the main menu causing excessive fan noise and system slowdowns. Despite these concerns, many players still recommend the game for its faithful adaptation and smooth gameplay experience on compatible systems.
- “It looks great, runs smoothly, and best of all, doesn't have a million little pieces to keep track of!”
- “The board game can take hours of work, which is good if you have that kind of patience. The PC version, however, runs smoothly so the game progresses at a good pace. It's basically up to you; the game could take hours or under an hour, depending on how long you study each move or plan.”
- “Would still recommend since the game runs smoothly and does not crash after many hours of play.”
- “Aside from some performance issues that suggest bad optimization, Twilight Struggle is a totally faithful adaptation of the fantastic board game it shares a name with.”
- “A big negative is the performance impact this has on my MacBook Air.”
- “Just being in the main menu starts the Mac's fans spinning like mad - and takes the performance of the computer to a halt.”
emotional
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game elicits a profound emotional response, often described as an emotional rollercoaster, with players experiencing both intense highs and lows. While the mechanics are designed to provoke strong feelings, some players find the emotional turmoil exacerbated by technical issues, leading to frustration and withdrawal when not playing. Overall, the game successfully engages players on an emotional level, prompting heart-wrenching decisions that enhance the depth of the experience.
- “Learning the basics of it has been an emotional rollercoaster, but there's loads of depth here for those that want to plumb it.”
- “This game will make you cry and feel like the whole world is crashing down around you as you make good, hard, heart-wrenching decisions that hopefully keep you alive to fight another round.”
- “I actually have withdrawals when I can't play this game, and I was literally emotionally bummed out when, right in the middle of several games, it had bugs in the game mechanics, causing the program not to work.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate that the game automates many tedious rules, making the experience smoother. However, the online play can be intensely competitive, leading to a frustratingly "teeth grinding" experience reminiscent of real-life competition.
- “The online play is teeth grinding and as competitive as the real-life plays.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is described as a mix of absurdity and satire, with players finding amusement in the developer's eccentricities and the intentionally poor sound design. Additionally, humorous gameplay elements, such as cards labeled "kitchen debates" and "wargames," contribute to the overall comedic experience.
- “And cards like 'kitchen debates' and 'wargames' add a bit of humor to the gameplay!”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The story is characterized by a morally complex narrative where players manipulate nations as strategic pawns, leading to devastating consequences such as civil wars and widespread suffering, ultimately evoking a sense of smug satisfaction in their ruthless decision-making.
- “Prepare to feel nothing but smug satisfaction as you sacrifice entire countries like pawns in a global chess match, causing decades of brutal civil war and untold human misery in the quest to contain your enemy.”