[h1]Just 2048[/h1]
Quite simply, this is [i]2048[/i] played with a fancy historical tile set. Aside from the graphics, the main features that distinguish it from all the other clones are an undo button with a 20 second cooldown and, judging from the level 'unlock' screen which shows your progress, a maximum tile 'level' of 16 (=65k in a traditional 2048 game using number tiles). Scoring for each match increases by 5 for each tile level, instead of doubling, so you can't compare scores with the traditional version.
If you haven't played 2048 before, play it for free on the web or mobile to see if you like it before buying this. Preferably play a version with instructions or a tutorial, since you won't get either here.
[h1]Technical implementation[/h1]
The game is built on Unreal Engine 4, which seems like overkill for a game like this. It's surprisingly CPU intensive even when idle, using about 30% on a recent i5 laptop (enough to turn on the fan and reduce battery life), and matches don't animate smoothly on a Bay Trail tablet. Since you can't zoom or rotate the board, pre-rendered tiles could easily have been used together with a more efficient game engine.
On two different Windows 10 systems, the game crashed every time the machine woke up from sleep mode. Fortunately the game saves your progress as you go along, but this is still inexcusable.
Keyboard control is available on the WASD keys, but you have to work this out for yourself (arrow keys being the usual choice for 2048). Because the grid is shown in isometric view, a diagonally placed layout such as the numpad corners might have been clearer.
[h1]Theming[/h1]
The game is available for free-with-ads on mobile. Combined with a lack of cards and achievements would be normally enough for me to ignore the Steam version. However, one look at the screenshots on a 4-inch phone makes it clear that these graphics are far too cluttered for small screens (see [i]Tokyo 2048[/i] for minimalist graphical version which fits far better on a phone). Even on a laptop, a full board can be harder to read quickly than a numerical grid, but the fancy graphics do help justify the decision to play what is essentially a phone game on your PC.
Having not studied the screenshots closely enough, I expected a 'development of civilization' theme, starting from cavemen (as featured) but moving up though typical or famous structures of the various eras: mud huts, pyramids, castles, Tudor mansions, bridges, airports and so on. Instead, most tiles depict unique one-off historic events, which you're then supposed to make pairs of. This might be fine using virtual playing cards, but having a 3D scene with a bunch of identical Trojan horses scattered around the board and the unique rock pass of the Battle of Thermopylae plopped down in every corner just feels weird. It also stunts your sense of progress, because instead of building up a city or country, you just feel like you're trapped in a very long version of Groundhog Day (Groundhog Millennium?) where another first-ever Olympics is due to take place every couple of minutes.
Another problem with the theming, at least for a non-expert player like myself, is that almost all the history depicted in a typical playthrough is ancient history. The traditional 'winning tile' (level 11, representing a score of 2048) is [spoiler]the Knights of the Round Table[/spoiler], with the 'birth of our era' (first century AD) coming just two tiles earlier. So you'll have to beat the game as originally designed many times over in a single session to stand any chance of seeing scenes from the Age of Exploration or anything from the second half of the trailer. I would have expected the '2048' tile to depict, if not the present day, then perhaps the Victorian Age, with a bit of 20th century history left over for the advanced players.
Overall, although the art style is pleasant and choice of theme is interesting, this feels like a missed opportunity.
