Very Impressive. After about 4 hours of tutorials, campaigns, and game play, I can tell that this game is a keeper.

Pros:
1. Very pleasing graphics and sound track.
2. Well designed and highly intuitive user interface.
3. Informative and well thought out Tutorial and Teaching Campaigns.
4. Good single player AI.
5. Easy to use and highly configurable Multi-player lobby.
6. Hot-Seat mode
7. And most important of all: The game itself is very, very good.

This is one of those games that quickly grows on you. After my first couple of hours of tutorials and campaigns, I began to appreciate just how well this game is designed. This is not Reiner Knizia's first rodeo, he is a well known and highly respected game designer. And from what I have experienced so far, this game is one of his best.

One final thought: I am thoroughly impressed by Dire Wolf Studios. They did a great job with this game both in terms of form and function. It looks good and it runs well.

An excellent board game adaptation. The interface is practical and clear, the tutorial is well done and there is a campaign of 10 matches with various conditions that focus on various aspects of the game. The single player match mode (outside the campaign) has two levels of difficulty. So far, as a beginner who never played it before, the AI for the campaign presents a nice challenge. The game is not too complicated to learn (not a ton of rules) and presents interesting strategic choices and possibilities. (I didn't try the multiplayer yet).

I find this game fascinating. Tigris & Euphrates was one of my favorite board games when I first got into the hobby, and II've come to find out that Yellow & Yangtze is a re-imagining of that game.

The Dire Wolf implementation is superb. Great animations, music, and UI. Highly recommended.

I love boardgames, and this game is amazing. I'm also a big fan of Reiner Knizia's games. The implementation is very polished, and the AI is a real challenge.

The only negative is that there are no steam notifications to tell when it is your move for online asynchronous play.

From experience I know that this is a game killer. For instance, I have three online games started and all have stalled, with no moves in the last day or two. Players have no idea when it is their move, and quickly get tired of logging in to check. The gameplay is absolutely amazing, but unless the developers introduce steam notifications I don't think it is worth the purchase. :-(

Can't rec for solo. Game will ensure bots always magically have enough tiles to win a revolt, and they will gang up against you in a war.

Like, you can be stacked with black tiles, and they will have +1.

This is a perfect example of smart game-design.
The balance between luck and strategy really feels right here.
There's no really bad draws but you have to adapt to what you got and use it to your advantage.
It is comparatively engaging as chess but with the big advantages of each game developing vastly differently due to the different draws and that it is suitable for more than 2 players aswell.

I'd say it plays in a similar league as "Through the Ages" and is way more fun that "Carcassonne". Main advantage over Through the Ages is, that I haven't mastered it yet to an extend where I can beat the AI. So far I've won the first two campaign-missions but lost agains the easy-AI in 2, 3 and 4-player matches. This means there's a lot to still lean before I can move up the difficulty-levels and eventually beat the highest one consistently.

One point of criticism I have though: The rules of the game, boardgame and this alike, state that you cannot see your opponents scores. Now that would be understandable, if there really was no way for you to know. But this isn't the case: Theorethically you could track your opponents' scores, if you pay close enough attention to each of their moves. If you would play it really competatively like chess, and the strategical depth for that is definitely there, you would keep track of your opponents' scores on a notepad.

This game is like an onion; on the surface it seems simple, but the more you cut into it, the more layers you will find, and you will likely be crying too, because the AI is more than capable of taking a dump on whatever strategy you can come up with.

I'm still not sure whether I prefer this or Tigris and Euphrates, but this is a fine implementation of a good game. I just wish the devs could set up a notification system for online play!

Reminding myself if I should revisit and if you should purchase.

ELEVATOR PITCH: Can't Afford the $200 Board Game? No Problem!
LIKED: One of the best of Reiner Knizia games adapted to digital. Great tutorial, slick graphics, and easy intuitive user interface.
DISLIKED: This is making me want to drop money for the physical board game. Help. Me.

===== Mood After 30mins =====
☐ Addicted
☑ Afternoon delight
☐ Grindfest
☐ Frustrated

===== Will I Revisit =====
☑ Yes, I aim to 100% complete
☐ Yes, but only beat the game
☐ Eventually. Until then, back to the pile
☐ No, on to other games

===== Price =====
☐ Full price worthy
☐ Discount
☑ Deep discount
☐ Pass

Disclaimer: I'm aware 30 minutes is not enough time to properly review any game. Historically, I'm a big completionist when it comes to gaming, but my backlog will just not die and adulting obligations continue to mount. I needed to find some sense of accomplishment with my backlog other than buying them at great discount. Dedicating at least 30 minutes of play per game will be my arbitrary sense of achievement. It may not justify my gaming spending habits, but I'll suffer less buyer's remorse. Who knows, in 30 minutes I might discover a great game I want to revisit and something you want to purchase. GGs!

They did a really good job getting this game onto PC. Interface, tutorials, rules implementation: It all works very well.