Review: Medici HD By Reiner Knizia - Get The Goods, Get The Gold!
by Robb Romero
October 19, 2010
Overview
Medici HD is the first board-game offering from Sage Board Games and Codito Development based on the tabletop "Euro game" of the same name developed by legedary game desiner Reiner Knizia. Players take turns drawing and bidding on lots of goods over the course of three rounds, and the play with the most currency at the end of the game is the winner. An iPhone version of the app is also available, but this review is intended for those interested in the iPad version of the game.
Features
With a crisp interface, even first-time players will have little difficulty working through a game of Medici. By playing against different AI characters, each with their own strategy and relative difficulty, players can scale their own understanding of the game as the progress the hierarchy of opponents and begin winning matches with more competitors.
Three to six players, AI or human, can participate in one game, and you can even change their names if you wish. Game difficult tends to increase with the number of players, giving this game a lot variability every time. The AIs provide challenging opponents, but they will help one understand the game's complex scoring system. The scoring system balances the game very well, allowing for deeply strategic thinking alongside a simple premise: acquire the most currency.
The Good
Medici HD really offers a lot of long-term replay value for board-game lovers, as it is definitely "simple-to-learn, but tough-to-master". Codito has provided several updates that have smoothed out bugs in the interface, and an Undo button is always available for undoing the most previous turn should players ever make a mistake (or want to bend the rules). Unlike the tabletop equivalent, set-up and gameplay are effortless, making games last for about 20 minutes.
The Bad
Because Medici HD is such a well-designed bidding game, it does have a complicated scoring system that does takes time to understand, especially if one intends to convince friends to play as well. When playing with friends, it is easy to take advantage of the programmed personalities by continuously passing until they are 'out' for the round. Because playing with other people will yield the best game experience, buyers who intend to play with others may tire of the game's structure and overall addictiveness more quickly than those who do not often play with human opponents.
The Verdict
If you're anyone who likes boardgames or table-top strategy games but could do without the mess of setup, Medici HD comes heavily recommended due to its rich gameplay, high replay value, and overall ingenuity in design (for both App and game). Sage Games and Codito have made a beautiful translation from tabletop game to the digital world, making them a developing partnership to watch in the future. As both a great app and a great game, Medici HD is an App Advice must-buy for those even slightly interested.
Sage has released screens of their next game, Ra, over at their website, where you can also read about their programming ambitions. Do you love the gaming philosophy presented by Sage Games, merging the best of board and digital games? Let us know in the comments.
