Ticket to Ride Pocket Review

I first played the board game Ticket to Ride a few years ago and was instantly hooked. I was very excited when the game was brought to the iPad - the developers at Days of Wonder did a very nice job at porting the game with an intuitive interface. It’s no surprise that the new iPhone version, Ticket to Ride Pocket is just as good.

Ticket to Ride Pocket is somewhat of a stripped down version of the iPad version that is easily played on the smaller screen of the iPhone. I say it is “somewhat” stripped down only because a few features, like online play, have been excluded. The game is still very much the same as the iPad version and most features are still available. The rules of the game are the same. Players must connect cities together with train routes through strategic moves and careful planning. The goal of the game is to complete as many train routes as possible while trying to thwart the plans of opponents. For a more full review of the game play and functionality of the game, see our review of the iPad version here.

I really enjoy the controls, graphics and sound of both iPad and iPhone versions of the game. The game controls are intuitive and easy to learn. For players that aren’t familiar with the rules of the game, a video tutorial is available along with in-game tips during the first game that is played.

As mentioned above, online play is left out of Ticket to Ride Pocket. This can be disappointing to some users since the game is best played against real opponents instead of the game’s artificial intelligence characters. In-app purchases are also left out. The iPad version allows users to purchase different boards that are modeled from the actual game board games, like Ticket to Ride Europe. I personally don’t miss this feature in the iPhone version since I like the original game board. I also enjoy the Local and Pass-and-Play game modes that remain intact in the iPhone version. These game modes allow friends to play against each other through local WiFi connections or to each take turns using the same device.

Overall, Ticket to Ride Pocket is a nice addition to the Ticket to Ride family. I really enjoy the gameplay and it’s nice to be able to play the game without having to pull out all the game pieces and game board. The game is available for $0.99, which is a good value for what is given. I would definitely recommend this version to any fan of the board game or iPad version.