Catan: Console Edition – the sheep are awfully cute (pic: Dovetail Games)

GameCentral reviews the latest video game version of board game classic Catan, as it tries to appeal to both new players and existing veterans.

There’s not been a plane or train journey where I didn’t spend at least some time playing the mobile or Nintendo Switch version of the most popular tabletop game of the modern age. This new console edition includes a wealth of visual and interactive elements to bring console players a new, more immersive experience, while trying to appeal to both existing fans of the game and those that have never tried it before.

Catan emerged in Germany during the mid-90s, with simple but meaningful play mechanics which have made it a stalwart of every gaming café to this day. Catan is a resource strategy game and relies on players placing wooden pieces to build roads and settlements and, as the game progresses, cities.

Two dice are rolled each turn, with the number corresponding to a token placed on a tile, which gives players one of the following resources: bricks, sheep, wood, wheat, and ore. Players collect resources when the number on their tile comes up, even if it isn’t their turn, which means you’ve got a constant influx of resources – even if it’s not the ones you want. That’s where trading comes in, as well as the bluffing and poker faces that make the game such a fun social experience.

The goal is to reach 10 victory points, but while expanding your territory is the general aim there is some sneaky strategy to be had in also buying development cards, which can give you everything from a free victory point to the chance to steal resources from others, build armies, or win a prize for having the longest road.

Catan – Console Edition features an extensive tutorial mode, that acts as a guide to new players and is well-designed and easy to follow. Everyone’s intimidated by huge boxes and tome-like rulebooks, when it comes to physical tabletop games, but not only does the console version do away with all that but Catan is already very easy to pick up and play.

Developer Nomad Games has a history of tabletop adaptions, including Talisman, and this has both haptic feedback on the DualSense controller and some neat visual details. It’s not exactly Horizon Forbidden West but the little sheep grazing nonchalantly as whirlwinds of resources are swept up around them looks very cute.

Another feature that makes Catan – Console Edition stand out is the ability to play with friends and family online. There’s a variety of multiplayer options, including local play (couch co-op) and online, with an effective matchmaking system that’s easy to use and means you won’t immediately go up against a Catan grandmaster if you’re still learning the rules.

Catan: Console Edition – this would take up a lot of table space (pic: Dovetail Games)

There are some issues though, most obviously the rather slow AI. It’s generally pretty sensible but it can make some odd mistakes, such as harassing you to trade resources you don’t have – although that only tends to happen at the beginning of a game. The flipside of that is that the frame rate can become unstable in the late game, which seems a bit galling consider this is running on a PlayStation 5 and there’s very little in terms of moving graphics.

Catan relies on fast and furious trading and one thing we missed was the ability to jump into a trade with a better offer, but the way it’s presented here it’s all very mechanical, compared to the auction room style atmosphere of a tabletop game. At the very least, a chat option and turn timer would have been welcome, but no such features exist.

If you can endure these problems, Catan – Console Edition can still be an entertaining experience. It’s an entertaining distraction without feeling like the overwhelming commitment some tabletop and video games can be. There’s also some fun, unlockable in-game cosmetics that reward repeated play, including unique visual flourishes and styles of dice.

It also helps that the video game version is considerably cheaper than the board game, which usually sells for around £50. You won’t feel ripped off by the video game, but the technical issues and lack of options mean that this is not quite the definitive edition you might have hoped for.

Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Xbox Series X/S
Price: £15.99
Publisher: Dovetail Games
Developer: Nomad Games
Release Date: 23rd February 2023
Age Rating: 3

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GameCentral reviews the latest video game version of board game classic Catan, as it tries to appeal to both new players and existing veterans.