Catan – Console Edition made a great first impression when I reviewed it last year, as it bridged the gap between tabletop carboard and the virtual world very well. Anyone who has played the tabletop version will know that there have been a number of expansions added to it over the years, such as Seafarers or Traders & Barbarians. Whereas… its digital counterpart has been a bit light on these game-growing expansions since launch. Luckily though, the Cities & Knights DLC has just landed for the game which does an outstanding job at adapting the 1998 source expansion to the videogame. However, this second major expansion for the core game does mix things up a fair bit.
Catan – Console Edition: Cities & Knights DLC adds invading Barbarians, Knights and City upgrades into the mix, with all being implemented seamlessly into the core game. Though it’s a DLC that oddly changes the core game loop in a way. The real hooks for Catan are its simplicity – fast to play and its trading systems – but a lot of these cornerstones are needlessly dragged out when you add in the expansion, making everything a bit too long. It adds in one too many new elements, which oddly overcomplicates trading, building and the game as a whole – while not bringing any particular depth to the overall experience.
Catan – Console Edition: Cities & Knights DLC is seen as a complicated expansion which does support numerous and interesting elements, but its issue is that ultimately it fails at the core goal of DLC… to enrich the core game for the better. Luck still plays far too big a part in the game, where you can be held back longer than you want to, due to the roll of the dice. This is made even more frustrating as the new dice adds a further layer of uncertainty to proceedings, with the chance of getting something useful, or simply moving the barbarians closer to the lands.
It’s safe to say that Catan – Console Edition: Cities & Knights DLC is a jarring add-on that will be seen as needlessly complex and more frustrating than enjoyable by some. Whereas others will welcome its new rules, elements and challenge. As such the Cities & Knights DLC pack is not really aimed at casual players I think it’s safe to say, but instead more seasoned veterans looking for a new challenge on the Catan front. Or maybe those who are familiar with the original tabletop game’s expansion and looking for a more cut throat offering right away.
An Xbox review copy of Catan – Console Edition: Cities & Knights DLC was provided by Dovetail Games PR team, and the expansion is available now for around £15.
The Verdict
Stuart Cullen
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