Catan E3 2005 Hands-On Report

Catan is an adaptation of the classic German board game, Settlers of Catan, for the Nokia N-Gage. It combines elements of both Risk and Monopoly, challenging you to start a settlement, build up your territories, and then acquire enough resources to edge out the competition. For this adaptation on the N-Gage, the classic board game has been revamped with a new look, featuring artwork from famed Japanese illustrator Susumu Matsushita. The combination of both classic turn-based strategy and stylistic Japanese art makes Catan one of the most exciting games coming to the N-Gage this year.

While there are some changes to the gameplay, for the most part it plays exactly like the classic board game. Players roll to see who begins, and then place two settlements anywhere on the board. There are five commodities to collect throughout the game: sheep, brick, wheat, wood, and ore, and in order to build different structures in the game, you'll be required to gather varying amounts of these commodities. Each hexagon on the board is associated with one of these resources and a number. As you build roads along the perimeter of the hexagons, you lay claim to any one that you happen to be bordering. This means that it's strategically important for you to place your settlements in areas that are close to all five commodities, so that you can more easily acquire them. When any of the game's players rolls the number listed in that hexagon, any person bordering it will receive the commodity within it.

The ultimate goal, while building property, roads, and collecting resources on this previously undiscovered island, is to be the first person to 10 points. You can gain points from having enough structures, and the size of the structure (and thus the number of commodities required to build it) deems how many points it is worth. It's relatively simplistic, once you get the hang of it, but the gameplay is constantly changing due to the moves of your opponents and the randomness of dice rolling. AI opponents each play a little bit differently--some are more aggressive and some are passive. There is an in-game trading system that allows you to barter commodities among your teammates, and you'll even notice that some opponents will choose not to barter, while others are happy to do so.

What makes Catan so interesting is the variety of different strategies that are possible in any given game. You can use your commodities to build many roads and border many different hexagons quickly, or you can slowly but subtly build up settlements and other structures instead. You can take a chance on items called development cards that will waste resources but will also potentially give you great game bonuses. Truly the possibilities are endless in any given game.

Catan is quite a unique amalgamation of a bunch of different games, including Monopoly, Risk, Go, and Craps. The art style and character development is an attractive and interesting layer to the strategic but easy-to-pick up gameplay.

Catan should be arriving to an N-Gage near you in the middle of August.