7 Grand Steps

 PC
Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 1 out of 4
  1. Hyper Magazine
    Jun 10, 2013
    90
    With surprisingly intricate tactical gameplay hidden behind a charming interface and nonchalant storytelling, 7 Grand Steps is one of gaming's greatest metaphors for life. [July 2013, p.73]
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  2. Multiplayer.it
    Jun 20, 2013
    80
    7 Grand Steps is a smart digital board game enriched with strategy elements and some surprises. A strange game, indeed, that brings us trough 7000 years of dynastical challenges.
  3. GameSpot
    Jun 7, 2013
    70
    An engaging combination of board game mechanics and pure storytelling, 7 Grand Steps is an addictive telling of one family's journey through history.
  5. Destructoid
    Jun 26, 2013
    40
    In retrospect, I like having this unique story to tell. However, I found little joy in actually playing it. Frustration, irritation, and boredom, sure. But little joy. I might have been better off playing the slots in my local, dilapidated amusement arcade. At least then there would have been a chance I could have won a few quid, and with my winnings, I could just have bought a book.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 30 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 30
  3. Negative: 4 out of 30
  1. superatron
    Jun 25, 2013
    10
    Incredibly fun and addictive. Build a family over several generations with a gameplay that feels like a sophisticated slot machine. Not aIncredibly fun and addictive. Build a family over several generations with a gameplay that feels like a sophisticated slot machine. Not a game that you play on the subway or while waiting in line for a movie. This is the kind of game that takes commitment. Definitely worth it.… Full Review »
  2. McJazzhands
    Feb 3, 2020
    3
    The game itself has a really unique presentation in the form of a constantly rotating board game, but that's about where the charm stops,The game itself has a really unique presentation in the form of a constantly rotating board game, but that's about where the charm stops, unfortunately. Gameplay and movement is based on a limited number of tokens, but you can generate tokens based on skills and interaction with other characters on the board. Unfortunately, you don't make nearly enough to do much of anything before long, especially when you end up having children and need to feed them tokens to improve their respective skills.

    Again, the game has a lot of neat ideas, but is let down by the execution and the random events that players don't really have much control over beyond one choice, the outcome of which seems to be based on skills, but isn't clear enough to know for certain. Later phases (I only made it to the second stage) introduce the idea of generating clout, but don't explain it at all.

    I want to like this game, I really do, but I can't.    … Full Review »
  3. Overvulture
    Nov 9, 2015
    6
    I have no idea what this is actually supposed to be. It's sort of a board game, sort of a strategy game, and sort of a roleplaying game andI have no idea what this is actually supposed to be. It's sort of a board game, sort of a strategy game, and sort of a roleplaying game and exists as something entirely its own thing.

    Normally I'd call that a plus, but as you might have guessed by the gratuitously pretentious title, it's a game much more full of itself than it is actually well-designed. Playing as a family, you use tokens to move forward on a board that's constantly rotating towards a pit of crocodiles which represent failure to thrive. As you play, you might produce children, and one of those children moves on to be your next player character and start a new generation eventually. Choices you make, like neglecting one of your offspring, might affect you down the line.

    Pretty cool in concept, but everything is just so slow and boring that it lost me. I remained curious and entranced despite the repetition for a while, wanting to know where this was all going, but eventually I realized just how much time I was wasting clicking on tokens again and again. Every actual in-game action is so far removed from the overall story it's trying to tell that it requires you to bring your own personal narrative to things just to make it interesting. Coupled with a really self-satisfied writing style and a way of trying to sound philosophical without saying much, and my goodwill quickly faded away entirely.

    This was a bundle game for me, but I'm still not interested in playing any longer. That it sells for $20 normally is insane. Some people might find something of interest here in the unique concept - I do recommend giving it a try if it makes its way to your library via bundle - but everything it was trying to do just didn't work for me.    … Full Review »
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