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Yuri Walkiw
Canada
Sturgeon County
Alberta
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While browsing games in the iPhone App Store, I came across a title that caught my attention - Ticket to Ride. I knew that an iPad version of the popular gateway board game had existed for quite some time, but news of the iPhone release eluded me last November. I hesitated before pressing buy, as I had already purchased Ticket to Ride twice; I own both the physical and Xbox Live Arcade versions. I decided getting on board with the iPhone version couldn't hurt, as it's priced at only $1.99. Was it worth my time and money? Find out after the break.
If you didn't already know, Ticket to Ride is a hit board game published by Days of Wonder in 2004. It pits 2-5 players against each other as they compete to connect destinations in the continental US by rail. Color coded cards are used to claim rail routes on the map, while other cards called tickets yield bonuses for connecting specific locations. The game has been praised for being deep and strategic, despite its shallow learning curve.
The Ticket to Ride Pocket interface translates the entire game onto an iPhone screen.
Days of Wonder has done an admirable job of converting the full size board game to a tiny touch interface. Players familiar with the retail version of the game will have no trouble familiarizing themselves with the controls. Every component looks identical to its larger physical counterpart. For players new to the game, a play-along tutorial does a fantastic job of introducing all of the rules. Simple finger taps are sufficient to draw cards, and you just drag your finger from your hand to the map in order to claim routes. The reticle for placing trains is displayed to the upper left of your finger, so it is not obscured. This layout decision was critical for making this game playable on a 3.5-inch display. The map can also be zoomed in if you have trouble placing trains or reading the names of destination cities.
The game is playable in three modes: Solo, Local Wi-Fi/Bluetooth and Pass & Play. I found the AIs to be quite challenging to play against. They aren't as difficult as real life experts of the game, but they can be surprising in their prowess. Pass & Play allows you to play with your friends on a single iPhone, which is a handy feature.
Difficult achievements will test even the best Ticket to Ride players.
Notably absent from the game is any form of online multiplayer. It is understandable, as this is what differentiates this $1.99 mobile title from the $7 iPad offering or $10 dollar XBLA version. Online play would also present problems, such as games ending abruptly when somebody receives a phone call. I would've liked to have seen the option there anyways, but it's not a huge deal. You can compete with your online Game Center friends in the high score leaderboards or via the unlockable achievements. Some of them look very difficult to obtain, and should add significantly to the gameplay experience. I must say that the "Play X Number of Games" achievements are disappointing. They're unoriginal, and excessive (20,000 Games!?!).
As of right now, no alternate maps are available for the pocket version of Ticket to Ride. I doubt they will ever be released, as they add many new gameplay features that would clutter the shrunken interface. The USA map is barely simple enough to fit nicely on the iPhone screen as it is. However, I'd definitely shell out $0.99 for the USA 1910 expansion if it was available, which adds a greater variety of destination tickets.
I'm really glad that I picked up this title. It is a perfect board game to be translated to the iPhone. It's simple enough for a small screen, and is easy to play in multiple short sessions. Once you're familiar with the rules of the game, drawing cards and claiming routes becomes oddly hypnotic. I enjoy playing a few games in bed while listening to a podcast before I fall asleep. Ticket to Ride Pocket is the perfect gateway version of a gateway board game. The price and simplicity will draw players in, but the reduced feature set will leave them wanting more, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. At only $1.99, about 1/25 of the price of the board game it's based on, I have a hard time doing anything but strongly recommending this game to all iPhone owners.
Click here to download "Ticket to Ride Pocket" for iPhone. Also, please check out my podcast show, The Hex19 Geekcast on iTunes for more video game content! Thanks for reading!
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