Review: RailRoad Ink Challenge (iOS)

As someone who loves complex board games, it’s hard to find a more entertaining way to spend a sunny summer afternoon than a few friends and some roll-and-write games. They’re usually super quick, easy to teach, and deep enough to keep you from missing the fact that you’re not playing something heavier. One of my personal favorite roll-and-write games is RailRoad Ink by Horrible Guild games. Imagine my surprise when I was cruising through the iOS app store a few weeks ago and found RailRoad Ink Challenge. I’ve had mixed results with video game adaptations of board games in the past, so I was very curious to try this one out. I’m pleased to report that RailRoad Ink Challenge is wonderful in every way!

For those of you that haven’t played the physical RailRoad Ink game, the game plays like this: a set of dice are rolled that contain combinations of railroad tracks and roads in varying arrangements. Over the course of seven rounds players must draw tracks or roads corresponding to what was rolled in the hopes of accomplishing several objectives. Some example objectives are: creating a complete network with two or more exits, covering spaces in the middle of the board, and creating long runs of both roads and railroads. Later versions of the game added more goals drawn from a deck of cards that change game-to-game. There are currently four different versions of the game, each with their own baked-in expansion modules that players can add if desired. I have the “Blazing Red” edition containing an expansion where meteors land every round and can destroy your progress but can also yield good rewards if retrieved, and a volcano expansion finding players trying to navigate around deadly lava. The physical versions of the game (expansions notwithstanding) play pretty quick - a normal game lasts around 20-30 minutes. So, how does the app stand up?

It’s the little touches that are so nice. Notice the “a” and “b” for network scoring.

First, it’s important to note that the app is VERY slick. Everything from the main menu to the in-game animations are extremely well done. Also, there’s a very nice collection of pleasant ambient town noises that play during the game; the kind of sounds you’d expect to hear while sitting in a small-town park. In addition there are a couple of nice settings like “battery saver mode” and “2x speed” which even further enhance the package.

There are two game modes: Challenge mode and Score Attack. In Challenge mode you are given the freedom to choose your starting goals, while Score Attack just presents you with a randomized set of objectives to play with. Challenge mode can be played alone, or asymmetrically with other players while Score Attack is tracked against the global leaderboards. Players will need to sign up for a Horrible Guild account to take advantage of social features. There is also currently just a base game available but the app teases that eventually forest and desert expansions will be rolled out via an in-app-purchase.

Playing the game is a breeze. Players merely tap once on the rolled dice and again on the space they should be placed. When all dice are allocated you swipe a ribbon to indicate your turn is over. At the end of the game all the individual goal conditions are automatically tallied and presented. At any time players can also change their overlays to a more goal-oriented view that puts details on the in-game UI. When you put all these things together the overall playtime is cut down from 20-30 minutes to as low as 5 minutes, making it extremely addictive and creating a strong “just one more game” factor. This also changes perception of the game from a board game to an iOS puzzle game. My wife and I had one night where we expected to play a game or two before bed but ended up playing for around 2 hours straight.

Making awful infrastructure decisions five minutes at a time.

Ultimately, I whole-heartedly recommend RailRoad Ink Challenge for any iOS gamer due to its ease of play, lovely presentation, and addictive one-more-game factor. It’s also easy on your wallet at $3.99 (while the physical copy will run you at least $20.) If you’re a fan of puzzle games OR roll-and-writes and have an iOS device, don’t miss this one!