Bounties of Babylon Review (PC)

I’ve found a giant barrel in one of the treasure chests randomly placed on a tile in this river system. I got to it because I carefully placed my two tiles to connect two segments of water and then got a good roll of the dice that allowed my ship to get to that tile. The mix of choice and luck means that I’ve delivered on one of my quests on the first of two allotted turns.

Unfortunately, my other ship only moved one tile because my roll was unlucky and is vulnerable to my competitor trading company. Its black-masted caravel could attack it because a good tile draw allowed the computer to create the path it needed. I live in fear while it rolls its own dice but seems to only get a two, which means the vessel stops short of the target.

Lahmu is the settlement on this map, and I would really like to reach it on my second turn. I need one corner tile to create the connection, which I get in the draw. The other one is of no use, and I discard it. Only one ship can reach the city and it needs a four, which, of course, I don’t get. But I do sink the enemy vessel and count its booty load as a sort of compensation.

Bounties of Babylon is developed and published by Cartographic Interactive. I played it on the PC using Steam, the only platform on which it is offered. The game is designed to evoke a board game, as players compete to win rounds while traveling toward Babylon.

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The premise is clear from the game’s name, but the developers have not made much of an effort to create a coherent universe around it. Why are these ships, with a look that resembles caravels, sailing up rivers rather than on the high seas? Is there a clear reason for them to be targeting Babylon, which was not important when European powers colonized much of the world using these types of vessels?

The game does not care. To add insult to injury, missions are generated for every run. Players need to interact with a merchant or pick up a certain number of resources to get bonus points. They provide a good way to integrate a bit of context or lore. But the opportunity is not used, and their generic nature does nothing to add to immersion.

Not every video game needs to have a fully-fledged universe. But story hooks are important, and Bounties of Babylon really needs one, however small. The game might have been fine without it if it had enough mechanical depth to compensate. Unfortunately, players will quickly discover that this is a simple experience with some nice ideas that don’t evolve in any way.

For each round, players have to reach a victory point threshold, gathering points in a few ways. The game generates a network of tiles and players receive three of them, from which they can choose two to use. Take a look at the level, consider which resources exist where (there are five color-coded types), and how the two can be placed to create river-powered connections.

Bounties of Babylon also gives players two ships, each with an associated die. A quick click rolls them, and the result decides how far they can move (a six means you can teleport to a settlement and interact with a merchant). Then it’s time to decide where the two caravels go. The idea is to consider what rewards you can reach, be they resources or ghostly treasure chests.

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The computer’s turn plays out the same. It will try to block access to certain areas. A ship that lands on another destroys it and picks up its gathered treasure, so it is important to avoid getting hit and to strike at the black ships if possible.

Of course, much depends on the rolls players get and the role luck plays means even the best-laid plans can quickly become unworkable. Getting into a settlement is harder than it should be, which makes it hard to sell things to the merchants. The feeling that you cannot control the coming quest creates anxiety even in the middle of a run that’s mostly going well. And the immersion level always remains low because the game does not try to create a coherent universe around its mechanics.

I enjoy the mechanics and the many ways the title’s elements interact with each other. Players should not be afraid to experiment but should first read the written tutorial. There’s no multiplayer, which is a shame given that this sort of board game-inspired title is always more engaging when another human is involved.

Bounties of Babylon is a very simple-looking game. There are real-world board games with more components and colors. The title uses a small number of tile types, designed to be easily identifiable by players, and the rivers are nothing more than blue lines on other tiles. There’s almost no attempt to make this world feel at least a little lively and the featured ships are not designed to reflect historical models.

The presentation’s only strong element is the interface, which can be quickly learned and mastered. The sound design does not impress. Effects are limited, the world doesn’t have personality, and the soundtrack is decent at first but has too few tracks and their cheery nature soon becomes annoying through repetition.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion