Blocks!: Richard III Reviews

Super fun boardgame and the port is to online is well-done. If you like the Wars of the Roses or just great board games, this is worth checking out. Also a great family-owned company with a long history in board gaming worth supporting.

As a digital representation, it's a little bit on the ugly side - the game engine doesn't seem to deal with aliasing very well so edges look a bit hideous and some textures don't look great. It looks like it was made about 15 years ago. I've played a short game and two long games and won all of them so far. I have some familiarity with block games (Hammer of the Scots) but the AI just doesn't seem good enough to give a challenge. Even when it's destined to lose unless it takes a risk it just moves blocks around if you have greater numbers in key positions until it looses. Tbh though I haven't tried the different personalities yet maybe some are harder than others. Hoping future updates/ releases address the above because there's so much to like about these block games. I'll keep buying there if you keep releasing them but please make them look nicer and implement better AI. Thanks for making a digital version.

Easy game to learn if you read the external PDF and fun game to play. Got it today and played through all three scenarios winning all as York which is a bit harder as you dont necessarily get the home team benefit. Beer and pretzels game for sure. I played all the old Avalon Hill board games. Wish they would make a digital version of Outdoor Survival.

I've played this a few times now and am already bored of it. The game is very one dimensional with over-complex rules (for example, on movement of blocks). The AI needs a lot of work to make it competitve (it isn't at all), The interface is clunky and not at all intuitive. Finally, multiplayer is very buggy. We had to abandon several games after they froze, or when the synchronisation between players failed). All in all, the game is fatally flawed in too may ways to make it playable. I am very disappointed, not least because it was fairly expensive.

This was my first purchase of a block game tabletop adaptation. Next time I will just buy the actual tabletop version. The computer version is a little too simplistic in terms of graphics and game play to compete with other computer games. (I beat the AI on my first game.) While I appreciate the developers trying to be faithful to the tabletop experience, the graphical dice roll was cheesy. Graphics are not sharp and the zoom is at an awkward angle. I did appreciate all the Shakespeare quotes in the game rules however! Overall, if you are really interested in this game, I would recommend buying the tabletop version.

Beware of Avalon Digital products! I really wanted to like this game, but I was initially disappointed by the shortness of the campaign and the lag/momentary freezing of the game. I was encouraged by the developer who was vocal in the forum, but who ended up being a back-slapper for Avalon. None of the "we will look into it" posts by this guy ever amounted to much of anything. I should have refunded the game, but as usual was slow in doing so, and missed the window.

I'm tired of making excuses for Avalon Digital. It's a lovely *looking* game. But the engine fails to follow the rules as designed, and what use is a digital adaptation at that point? The reps from Avalon even whined on Steam that we, the players, were asking too much of them, while again and again issues were bought to their attention and not addressed. Sadly, this seems to be the usual course with boardgame adaptations. The companies want your $, but they don't want to provide a game that enforces the rules.

I've owned the physical board game for some time now and I often find playing an app is the best way to learn the rules, especially before I teach it to others at a games night. I thought i'd splash out and finally learn Richard III having noticed it in the steam sale. Finally get it to the table! Happy days! If you already know how to play then this app is fantastic! Looks the part, feels like the physical game. The board looks identical as do the cards. Helpful animations. The blocks themselves are a different matter however. They've shrunk the instantly recognisable heraldry icon into the top left corner and now have most of the block covered by a generic looking soldier. I know you can see details by doing a mouse over but for a macro-view it's annoying. If you don't know how to play, well god help you. The 'tutorial' is a few pop ups that give you a rough idea on how battles work and then a generalised description of block movement. It's doesn't explain the charge and treachery mechanic, detailed movement mechanics or a full succinct explanation of battles. There is no reference to any of these rules during play either! The rules are attached in PDF (in settings, and not immediately obvious!), but are just a scan of the physical game's rule book. It's incredibly dry, no way to navigate quickly and a right pain to cross reference while in play. Please sort out a better tutorial! Don't expect people to read a 25 page PDF. There is a brilliant strategic war game here and the app developers have put up several barriers for people new to the game to play and enjoy it. Really shooting yourself in the foot. Will change my review to recommending it once a better tutorial is in place.

I love the block games from Columbia Games and I do own several of the physical boardgames. I was pretty excited when I heard that these block games were being developed, and bought Blocks! Richard III. The first few games were fun learning games, but as I played more games against the AI, I became disappointed with it. Pretty much the dumbest AI i've played against and this game is not worth getting for the very poor AI. I haven't tried multiplayer yet, but from what I've read on Steam, there are bugs. A note to Avalon Digital-improve the AI on this game and the other games in the Blocks! series. I would not recommend this or any other Blocks! games if the AI is not improved. If you MUST get a Blocks! game on Steam, wait till its heavily discounted. Not worth it at full price.

I love Columbia block games, but this implementation is not good. There are just too many issues that I have to fully list here, but a few include: poor integration of rules within the game itself (pointing to an external PDF is not great), low-resolution of the map, short game, clumsy AI, poor ability to navigate the gameboard (no click an drag), and more. I'm sorry Columbia, I hope this gets some updates and then I'll come back. Until then, I'll happily continue to buy and collect your boardgames.