Through the Ages is a classic civ building strategy board game that is now available digitally.

Through the Ages App Description:

Through the Ages has been around for a while. It recently got a new edition that I reviewed here. If you are looking for rules and gameplay description read that then come back here. This post is going to focus on the digital version of the game.

For the most part the digital version of Through the Ages is exactly like the board game. But it takes care of the lots of the math and moving cubes and cards to the appropriate locations. Obviously setup is also a breeze with the app and you can play against AI opponents. The AI has three levels of difficulty.

The app also has nine different challenges you can try to beat. These are like variants of the game. They change some aspect of the normal game and you can try them on each difficulty level. For example there is one challenge that makes everything cost 20% less, or one that limits your culture production to two-thirds what it should be.

You can play against other players online asynchronously or via pass and play. There are a few modes that are yet to be developed car mode which replays everything that happened since your last turn. And tabletop mode which is teased but not really defined.

Quick Review of the Through the Ages App:

Through the Ages is an excellent digital implementation of the board game. It takes care of some of the more fiddly aspects of the analog version and is quicker to play.

The tutorial is fantastic. You’ll be laughing as Ancient Vlaada guides you through how to play and the interface of this game. It is one of my favorite tutorials for a digital board game ever.

The AI is pretty tough and presents a good challenge. You can save games and pick them up later. And though it might take a round or two to settle back into where you were, there is a running log of the game.

I cannot recommend the Through the Ages App enough. This is a great game and being able to play it alone in about an hour makes this app worth the price. And being able to play against others is just icing on the cake. It is available for both Android and iOS.