Tsuro board game and app review

Tsuro is a relaxing game where you lay down tiles to make a track for a counter to follow, trying to disrupt other players plans while staying on the board yourself. There are two different versions: the game in its physical board game form, but it can also be found on the app store on a Ipad or Iphone for a fraction of the price. In this review I will talk about both versions, weigh up their merits before giving my final verdict.

In both versions, Tsuro is a laid back, easy going game where each turn you place a card and have the satisfaction of watching your player piece snake along the path you have laid for it. These simple rules make it prefect to pick up and play with practically anybody, especially friends and family.  With loops being especially satisfying to pull of, it is fun to see the board crowd up and as you try to not run yourself into the edges of the board.

My one problem with the game, is that how you draw cards which you lay down is unnecessarily complicated ,which slows the pace of learning and playing the game down considerably. When I got to try out the physical game at a convention with my Dad, it made us lose the flow of the game every time we drew a card. Luckily the app automates all of this card drawing, so you can just sit back and play which is one of the reasons why I like the app version so much.

While having physical counters that you can touch is nice, the cards do get knocked pretty easily in the board game, disrupting the game as you scramble to put them all back where they should be. This however is once again solved in the app as the cards slot neatly into place with zero effort on your part.

The one problem I have with the app compared to the physical board game is that if you are playing with your family (which I often do), you have to pass round whatever device you are playing the game with, meaning that you can only really see what is happening on your turn. However in the actual board game everyone can see everything that goes on making it much more inclusive.

My favourite feature by far of the app is that it draws a line showing you where your piece has been, so you can look back at what a wiggly mess you have created when the game is over. It takes the satisfaction you get from when you make a loop in the normal game and multiplies it the the nth degree by playing a little chink sound when you cross back over you line (and do not even not get me started about when you chain several loops in a row).

Overall, with a price several times smaller, better features and a more fun playing experience, I would definitely recommend buying the app for Tsuro, as the board game is just not as good due to all the reasons I have talked about. It looks like the digital revolution has come to even board games, so I suggest you sit down, download the app and play of a game of Tsuro.