Tikal ($3.99) is the iOS adaptation of the 1999 German Game of the Year. If you’re a board game fan or like strategy titles, this game is certainly worth checking out for your iOS device.
As I started this app, I was a bit unsure of what to expect as I had never tried the tabletop version. The look of the game really impressed me. As I understand it, the art was not taken directly from the board game, but looks great nonetheless. Visually, the game pieces stand out against the lush forest background, and it was obvious the developer, Codito, spent a good deal of time in this department.
I was a bit disappointed with the lack of tutorial. The in-game hints did a reasonable job of getting me through my first game, but afterward I still had a couple of rules that were not crystal clear. Table of contents and rules pages were somewhat helpful, but they lacked any pictures to illustrate what each rule was describing. This was frustrating and Tikal could really benefit from a tutorial, as is well-implemented in Carcassonne or Ticket to Ride, for example.
After getting the hang of the game against the computer opponents, it was time to try out online multi-player. I was very pleased overall with the single-player game experience, but had heard that the online play was buggy and would frequently crash. Unfortunately, my experience was not perfect. The first time through there were no hiccups, however, midway through my second online game the app froze and the game was lost…as well as 30 minutes of my time. I have yet to try another online multiplayer game, and would urge Codito to try to remedy this quickly.
Overall, Tikal has very good visuals, fun and challenging gameplay, and is a convenient way to take the popular board game with you. If future updates can solve the online problems, I would easily give it a perfect score.
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