Murder Mystery Machine
Murder Mystery Machine
Game
Game2018
Through the Ages
Developer CGE Digital
Legendary board game classic from award winning designer Vlaada Chvátil From the Steam store page
226 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Nov 4, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
90
LovedLoved
155 positive · 17 negative
95% range 85–94%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 155 | 17 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 16 | 0 | 33 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 4 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
946 of 1,035 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
90% recommend · 157 yes, 17 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 174 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (2,136 of 2,348 positive).
Players widely praise this digital adaptation as one of the best board game implementations available. [1][2][3] Many reviewers highlight the excellent tutorial and smooth UI that make a complex game accessible. [4][3][5] Some players report technical issues, including crashes after updates, that affect their recommendation. [6][7]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
Game keeps crashing now. Can no longer play since most recent update.
- [1]
Best Civilization-type game I have ever played. Optimal for 4 players and takes about 5 hours per game (which is still less than Sid Meier's Civilization). The implementation is impeccable - developers really put an effort into the game UI and screen organization. The game is well-maintained by the dev team. I would also highly recommend the physical tabletop version if you have someone to play IRL.
- [2]
One of the best board game adaptations I have ever played and, personally, a better experience than playing the physical version. I've played other online versions and this is by far the best implementation. Faster too; I play a 2p game in 45m and I'm not that fast The game supports asynchronous play, meaning you can play over several days if you want. It also supports max time per player up to forever, meaning you …
- [3]
Probably the best digital board game adaptation out there. People might not know this but CGE (the publisher of the original board game) maintains full control over their board game apps, developing them in-house. I don't know of any other publisher doing that, and it really makes a difference. Contrary to its inspiration (Sid Meier's Civilization) TtA has an excellent tutorial and it implements the game so well …
- [4]
In one word: great! Basically Civilization in a card game, where all the upkeep involved with boardgames is done for you. Many thoughtful things such as reminding you when you can do an action a different way, and being able to undo all actions you took this turn so you can freely experiment. I'm a player who usually skips tutorials, selects hard mode and has fun, but I knew from playing lots of boardgames that this …
Summarised from 34 of the 220 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Through the Ages sits at 90% positive across 172 opinionated reactions from 3 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Reactions
60 of 226 · most liked firstgoals are 10 points; catching the snitch is 150 points and ends the game. first of all: divide everything by 10. (Rowling retconned meaning to the 150 in Quidditch Through the Ages; do not quote it to me)
neutral · AI labelView post →Donut County, Boomerang Fu and Cricket Through the Ages were top games at our PAX West Family Gaming Zone today.
neutral · AI labelView post →These #MTGxFinalfantasy Through the Ages treatments are gorgeous. I never really played them though so I'm having a hard time telling which FF game this is from.
neutral · AI labelView post →Parents and kids loved recharging and resting with our games before heading back to #PAXEAST2025 show. Also some just stayed all day. Zoominies, Cricket Through the Ages and Boomerang Fu have been big hits. www.familygamingdatabase.com/PAXEastBosto...
neutral · AI labelView post →I adore Galaxy Trucker. I thought Through the Ages was amazing (but long). Space Alert was a fun co-op. Codenames was a good (but light) game. But seriously: FUCK CZECH GAMES. I don't need to ever buy anything from them or Vlaada Chvátil. They're profiting from the misery of the trans community.
positive · AI labelView post →#10 is Through the Ages which I passed on for years bc the idea of a civ game without a map seemed so stupid, so when I got hooked, I had to play hard to make up for lost time. The conveyer belt delivering upcoming cards is such a brilliant vice to trap players in boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/18...
positive · AI labelView post →About 2 hours into a Sunday night game of Through the Ages with Anna. Stage 2 of 4. It’s unclear who’s winning at this point. #boardGames #throughTheAges
neutral · AI labelView post →🚨 Programming alert: Concordia, Formula D, and Roll Through the Ages: The Bronze Age are now all in beta on Board Game Arena 🚨
neutral · AI labelView post →HOBBY GAMERS THROUGH THE AGES 1970s: Man, this was just dudes, now this D&D game has all these chicks hanging around 1990s: Man, this was just dudes, now this Vampire game has all these chicks hanging around 2010s: Man, this was just dudes, now these streams have all these chicks hanging around etc
neutral · AI labelView post →Enemies(WIP) in my Unity game - Through The Ages #gamedev #indiegames #unity #videogames
neutral · AI labelView post →We went thrifting this afternoon, and apparently my hubby has turned into a magnet for grail finds. We thrifted Through the Ages (1st Ed) for $3. Not quite as good as getting 2nd ed, but all the components in this game are still in shrink. #boardgames
positive · AI labelView post →Need some help on great competitive family games for our big GamesCom booth. We'd usually go to Towerfall, Cricket Through the Ages and Boomerang Fu but in Germany these are all USK 12. What great 6-player Switch games would you suggest for us? (Also we are open to new indie game suggestions)
neutral · AI labelView post →Dungeon - Ancient Structure in my Unity game Through The Ages. Through The Ages is a 2D open-world sandbox game, currently in active development. #gamedev #unity #terraria
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm up to 874 plays of Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization - mostly via participating in tournaments on the excellent app. I don't win any of the tournaments - solidly middle of the pack. boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/18...
positive · AI labelView post →Really loving new quick & rough prototype, make a history game prototype based on mechanics of Roll Through the Ages the Bronze Age w/ my Honors 10s. Such a great thinking + design exercise. Such a great collaborative excercise for those who chose too. Also a great warmup for the full semester game
neutral · AI labelView post →1. Exploring US History Through Cookbooks Feat. The Joy of Cooking 2. Musical Theater Miscellany 3. Figure Skating Controversies to Clutch Your Pearls About 4. Adventure Game Tropes Through The Ages 5. The Many Ways In Which Copyright Law is Deeply Fucked: A Layman's Opinion
neutral · AI labelView post →Moon forest in my Unity game - Through The Ages WIP content #indie #gamedev #unity #videogames
neutral · AI labelView post →Here's a one-shot tour of families playing together at ComicCon. Can you spot: ✅Astro Bot ✅Castle Crashers ✅Cricket Through the Ages ✅Gran Turismo ✅Heave Ho ✅Inbento ✅Lil' Gator Game ✅Lonely Mountain Downhill ✅Serpent and the Seed ✅Split Fiction ✅Towerfall ✅Tricky Towers ✅X4: Foundations
neutral · AI labelView post →Best Civilization-type game I have ever played. Optimal for 4 players and takes about 5 hours per game (which is still less than Sid Meier's Civilization). The implementation is impeccable - developers really put an effort into the game UI and screen organization. The game is well-maintained by the dev team. I would also highly recommend the physical tabletop version if you have someone to play IRL.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When We Can Make It Happen Board Game Night Through the Ages #BoardGames #GameNight
neutral · AI labelView post →155th game of 2026 is "Roll Through the Ages: Iron Age" with the Mediterranean expansion by @mattleacock.bsky.social @tomlehmann.bsky.social @eaglegryphon.bsky.social with @kbowenwriter.bsky.social - our first time with this expansion since I picked it up at a flea market. Very different game!
neutral · AI labelView post →It changes all the time, but currently (in no particular order) Undaunted Normandy Dinosaur Island Rawr N Write Argonauts Arcs Roll Through the Ages Pan Am Battle for Rokugan Little Town Biblios Medici the card the game
neutral · AI labelView post →When We Can Make It Happen Board Game Night Race for the Galaxy (Not pictured) Through the Ages Sabacc Dr Nim #BoardGame #GameNight
neutral · AI labelView post →Through the Ages is cheap on Google Play right now play.google.com/store/apps/d...
neutral · AI labelView post →When We Can Make It Happen Board Game Night Near and Far Can't Stop (not pictured) Mind MGMT Roll Through the Ages (not pictured) Terraforming Mars Ascending Empires Zenith edition #BoardGames #GameNight
neutral · AI labelView post →A highly impressive game. I can understand the BGG ranking now. I'm still getting thoroughly owned by the easy AI, after 12 hours of gameplay.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Had a great 3-player game of Through the Ages. #boardgames
positive · AI labelView post →In one word: great! Basically Civilization in a card game, where all the upkeep involved with boardgames is done for you. Many thoughtful things such as reminding you when you can do an action a different way, and being able to undo all actions you took this turn so you can freely experiment. I'm a player who usually skips tutorials, selects hard mode and has fun, but I knew from playing lots of boardgames that this game could be hard so I followed the tutorial. I don't think I've ever seen a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fantastic digital implementation of a board game that really works well played async, so perfect for those of us that have little possibility to dedicate time to play a "live" game (though the app supports this too) It does not hurt that the board game is also one of the best of all time :-)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A bit of Through the Ages by Vlaada Chvatil from CGE on Steam tonight. After a few practice games against the AI, it's the first game with my games group. I'm liking what I see so far. 🙂👍 #boardgames #CardGames
positive · AI labelView post →When We Can Make It Happen Board Game Night Quoridor (not pictured) Marvel Champions Stone Age Catan Starfarers Roll Through the Ages #BoardGames #GameNight
neutral · AI labelView post →About 2 hours into a Sunday night game of Through the Ages with Anna. Stage 2 of 4. It’s unclear who’s winning at this point. #boardGames #throughTheAges
neutral · AI labelView post →Through the Ages is a digital adaption the boardgame with the same name. This a very complex boardgame with many different mechanics and strategies you can pursue for your victory. You can play this game with up to four players or exchange human players through AI. The game is very similiar to Sid Meier's Civilzation, but in boardgame form (although you could argue that Civilization in itself is already some sort of boardgame). The goal of the game is to have the greates civilization at the end…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the best board game adaptations I have ever played and, personally, a better experience than playing the physical version. I've played other online versions and this is by far the best implementation. Faster too; I play a 2p game in 45m and I'm not that fast The game supports asynchronous play, meaning you can play over several days if you want. It also supports max time per player up to forever, meaning you can force a game to be as fast or as slow as you want. Like the original, it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →@mattthr.bsky.social Radiohead killed alternative rock? That's harsh man! Also, maybe have a "brief" look at Avalon Hills' Up Front for a map game that has no map. I really enjoyed the Through The Ages visit.
neutral · AI labelView post →It was implemented beautifully. A bit glitchy when it ran under Linux, but I still hope they'll fix that. Instead, the "update" from mid-August happened, and now it doesn't run at all. I can NO LONGER Recommend this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game keeps crashing now. Can no longer play since most recent update.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There's some good boardgame apps. The Wingspan phone app is a cute way to kill time while listening to pretty bird sounds. And the phone app of Through the Ages is like the only way I want to play that game anymore.
positive · AI labelView post →Probably the best digital board game adaptation out there. People might not know this but CGE (the publisher of the original board game) maintains full control over their board game apps, developing them in-house. I don't know of any other publisher doing that, and it really makes a difference. Contrary to its inspiration (Sid Meier's Civilization) TtA has an excellent tutorial and it implements the game so well that many players prefer this version to the board game. I wouldn't go so far but I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really well designed balanced game. At first it appears very complicated, but please give it a chance.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Probably my favorite card game. The computer is an excellent opponent and the DLC add interesting content. When I have a break and less than an hour to play a game, this is the one I choose.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I could not recommend this game enough. 1 hour of tutorial will prepare you for countless hours of strategy where every game feels different and requires an unique approach. They managed to implement a really solid AI that doesnt need handicap - it gets the same resources as you - while managing to make it hard to beat on hard level. That being said the game really shines in multiplayer with many time options allowing you to make 1 turn per 12 or 24 hours if you dont have time to be online, or…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good Game. AI is also not braindead the higher lvl AI is really good. My only gripe with the game is the random mix mode, while fun, has issues: I have a feeling the AI knows what cards are in the deck and can plan accordingly and second sometimes certain things are not in the deck and trying to prepare for these things can loose you the game. For instance: almost no colonies in the deck, just no artillery army doctrines, almost no aggression cards. Apart from that the game is very fun to play…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Lunar Sanctuary in my Unity game Through The Ages #unity #programming #videogames #indie
neutral · AI labelView post →Probably my favorite game of all time across all genres and formats for PvP. The balance is perfect and there are many paths to win every game. Randomness is just the right amount to make it very replayable. I've played 147 asynchronous games in this format since it came out, but I also played numerous games on board game arena starting in 2014. Making your asynch turns on PC or Android phone is seamless, can't speak to iPhone but have to assume it's good too.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game 12 of our March Game Madness match-ups is Thomas Lehmann's Roll Through the Ages: The Iron Age vs the dexterity classic, Tumblin' Dice. Which of these two games will move on to round 2?
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is hilariously confusing with a pretty awful tutorial that tries too hard to be cute and funny. Give me the info I need and then stfu. As it stands, I'm not recommending this game but, maybe when I can figure it out, I'll revise this review.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Incredible implementation, got rid of my physical copy, this is much easier to manage and goes much faster.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Board game civilization without the 8+ hour game duration of civilization.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'd like to try some of these too. It's amazing how a good app (e.g., Through the Ages) can bring a complex, heavy game to life.
positive · AI labelView post →It takes about 20 games to really appreciate what this game is about. If you can get through the learning curve of not just mechanics but the options for different strategy choices, it begins to shine.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Best board game in my opinion and this digital implementation is just excellent. For those who are new - there is perfect tutorial that teaches game rules. game is very deep and if You buy this - make sure You buy also expansion with New Leaders and wonders. It just makes each game super unique and there is always new things to explore. Game with big depth of tactic and strategy! Big online community - this year there is official world championship that has more than 1100 players online!…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is one of the greatest board games of all time and if you want to hear more about why, I suggest you look it up on boardgamegeek. It's one major flaw is that it involves a lot of bookkeeping and moving pieces back and forth, and a lot of calculation. The steam implementation fixes precisely those issues, plus a lot of other extremely useful features that make playing the game super smooth, and the best tutorial of any digital board game I've played. So it's one of the best board games…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Best Board Game ever and Best Game to play at Work :)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fantastic strategy game! It took me 40 hours and several defeats to finally achieve my first victory playing against 3 AIs on normal difficulty. The game is so tough, and the AI does not cheat. Losing in this case is fun, since you know the AI is beating you without any sort of artificial buffs. The transitioning from easy to medium difficilty is brutal, but still quite fun from beggining to end. The last turns, contrarily to most strategy games, are the most engaging and tense. It is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As an implementation of a card/board game, it's fine. But the underling game has very little in terms of catch-up mechanics, so its very obvious very quickly who will ultimately win the game in many cases, giving players little incentive to play it all out.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I just declared War Over Culture on Catistan and my opponent is not impressed. #Cats #Boardgames #ThroughTheAges
neutral · AI labelView post →Today we raise our horns in salute to both Lemmy and Phil Campbell by bringing back an old favorite to #Rocktober, Victor Vran! Specifically, The Motorhead: Through the Ages DLC!!! www.twitch.tv/adamcrowgaming WARNING: Game may cause seizures. Viewer discretion advised. #twitch #Twitchtv #PS5
neutral · AI labelView post →"Through the Ages" on Steam is a digital adaptation of the highly acclaimed board game designed by Vlaada Chvátil, and it masterfully brings the depth, complexity, and strategic brilliance of its tabletop predecessor to the digital realm. From the moment you launch the game, it becomes evident that CGE Digital has taken great care in faithfully reproducing the intricate mechanics and long-term decision-making that define the original experience. Whether you are a veteran of the board game or a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love the game, but it can be hard to find a game and play it through. Playing with friends is the best though.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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