No matter how many times I attempt to understand the back story behind “Quest for Destiny”, I come up short and end up reaching for my Tylenol bottle. From what I was able to gather, players will assume the roles of Pathwalkers on a quest to find the Dawn of Zegon. There’s mention of a group called the Scryers who found the special shield within the Great Forest of West Span, which happens to be guarded by one Dragon Lord Kathar. Oh, and mindless thralls. To be fair, there is a “Story Behind the Cards” section at the end of the manual, but my eyes glazed over in the same way as when I attempted to read Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings”. That begs the question, will the gameplay mechanics be as convoluted as the story? Before we explore that answer, I’d like to thank Desmond Ong from Destiny Makers LLP for reaching out and providing me with a press copy.
Board Games
Seriously, who wouldn’t enjoy trekking through a dungeon with your friends and slaying bad guys? “Escape From Monster Mansion” promises exactly that while being dynamic at the same time. Players reveal new rooms as they explore, making each and every game a unique and exciting experience. As you’d expect, players can choose between different characters with unique abilities and equip weapons to give themselves an edge. Of course, there’s no shortage of monsters…where else can you find a giant roach, an alien, and a kill-bot all in the same quote unquote “dungeon”?
Spiders are sneaky little devils. Just last month I was in bed reading a book, reached over to check my phone, and BAM! An eight-legged creature was camping out on my shirt staring at me from behind the book. The scream that followed would have impressed Wilhelm, for sure. “Spiders!”, a game currently seeking your support on Kickstarter, puts players on the other side of the fence. This time around, you’ll be spinning webs and attempting to catch flies, all the while trying to hide from the humans lest you incur their wrath.
As a former professional “Chess” player, I had thought that I had seen everything. First it was “For the Crown“, an oddly satisfying deck-building “Chess” game, and now this. While cards are again involved in this particular “Chess” variant, they actually become the pieces in which players will be strategically placing and moving around. No worries fellow “Chess” players, the object of the game is still the same: capture the enemy King through checkmate. How this is accomplished however bears a little explanation. Before we touch on specifics, I’d like to quickly thank the folks at Victory Point Games for providing me with a free press copy.
You’d think that a card deck from another planet would be difficult to understand and play, but as I’ve come to learn with “The Zont Deck”, that simply isn’t the case. Like other Kickstarter projects I’ve covered, “The Zont Deck” is more than just a game…it’s a template that allows for folks to make use of multiple variants. Before we get started, I’d like to thank game creator Kevin Omans from Zontco LLC for reaching out and providing me with a press copy. As with all prototypes, it’s important to stress that they are usually not representative of the final product. In this case, the card art and gameplay mechanics are final, but the box art and instruction manual may or may not undergo some changes. There’s also the possibility that more variants will be added to the manual in the future, though nothing is set in stone.
The 1950’s was an interesting time for science fiction, bringing you such classics such as “The Twilight Zone”, “Science Fiction Theatre”, “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, and “The War of the Worlds”. “FORTRESS MOON”, a game currently seeking your help on Kickstarter, is all about the 1950’s retro future. One player will assume the role of the LUNAR COLONISTS, who are discontent and fed up with the working conditions they’ve been forced to endure on Earth’s moon. As a result, they’ve taken control of thirty mine-bases in which the other players (AKA EARTH FORCES) will be tasked with taking back.
Retro games and I have a love/hate relationship. As a child of the 80’s, I grew up with them…developing fond memories all the while being completely mindful of the fact that I spiked my controller into the floor on several occasions. “Game Over”, a game seeking your support on Kickstarter, is certainly a welcome nod at the genre. In this easy to play card game for 2-6 players, folks will be battling retro characters in one big battle royal. Based on the information provided by the developer, games on average only take about fifteen minutes to complete…an ideal time frame for quick party action with friends and family (recommended ages 12+).
How many tower defense games have you seen me cover on my website? Ten? Twenty? Fifty? I’ll just opt to make it easy on you folks and simply say, “a lot”. It’s a genre that I never get tired of and with good reason…tower defense games are both strategically fun and addicting. “The King’s Armory”, however, breaks the mold and puts the action right on your dining room table. Now I know that games like “Castle Panic” have been doing this for quite a while now, but this is the first game I’ve seen that is both in-depth and keeps with the video game formula. Spawn and exit locations? Check. Towers that attack the monsters as they advance down the path? Check. Heroes that you can control on said paths? Check. While I haven’t had the pleasure of playing it, “The King’s Armory” certainly looks like a lot of fun to play.
It’s always a great feeling to see a promising idea reach its Kickstarter goal within days of going live. “HOST”, a card game developed by Broken Prism Games, is one such item. It still has twenty-one days to go (as of 10/29/13) and shows no signs of slowing down. In this particular game, the world’s first great apocalypse has begun. That begs the question…what finally did in our big blue planet? Zombies? Aliens? A little of both, it turns out. Before we take a sneak peek at what this game has to offer, I’d like to thank Matthew Ryan Robinson from Broken Prism Games for reaching out and providing me with a press copy. As with all prototypes, it’s important to stress that the components featured are usually not representative of the final product, making the below rules and contents subject to change.
All of us, at one point in our lives, have told a lie. I’m also willing to bet that the first lie you told was directed at some form of authority figure or parent. I, of course, never did that as a child. I was the good son twenty-four/seven and never got into trouble. Don’t ask me what the color of the sky is in my world…the jury is still out on that one. At any rate, as a father myself, there’s sense in denying it…kids will lie just to test your limits and to see how far they can push until you push back, figuratively speaking. “Lie Your Face Off!” is a variation of that theme, placing players in the role of kids who must lie to their parents in order to earn points. Before we get started with the preview, I’d like to thank John Bintz (the game’s creator) for sending me a press copy. As with all prototypes, it’s important to stress that they usually aren’t representative of the final product making the below content subject to change.
I am a big fan of the game show “Jeopardy”, even if I’m lousy at it. Some of the answers are so vague or specific that I have a hard time coming up with the correct question. “Blurt!” is similar in play style in that a clue is read and players must guess the word, though the objective isn’t to accumulate the most money. Rather, you’ll be trying to move your game pawn around the board in order to complete a full lap before everyone else does. Before we sneak a peek at “Blurt!”, I’d like to thank Nancy Davies, the Vice President of Salmon Borre Group, for providing me with a free press copy.
A lot of the people I know love a good game of “Sudoku”…it’s a quote unquote “simple” numbers game that doesn’t in fact turn out to be quite as easy as they originally thought. For those of you who have never played it, “Sudoku” is made up of a 9×9 grid composed of nine 3×3 regions. Your objective is to fill the 3×3 regions with the numbers 1-9, while also making each row or column in the 9×9 grid only contain numbers 1-9. “Botchee Deluxe” is a variation of that theme, though it offers players with alternative ways to play. Before we go any further, I’d like to thank Gary Stout from Botchee Games for providing me with a press copy. It’s important to note that while the components appear final, there’s still some question as to how the final rulebook will appear as well as whether or not the game will be sold in the US. Since the game is still being developed in this light, I’ve opted to cover the game as a preview rather than a full-blown review.
Two spies, one board. It goes without saying that only one will come out on top. Are YOU cunning enough to be the last spy standing? “Nowhere to Go”, a strategic two player game, tasks players with being the first to block their opponent’s spy so that they have…well…nowhere to go. Think “Spy vs Spy”, but family-friendly and without all of those clever/deadly traps. Before we take a look at this game in further detail, I’d like to thank Nancy Davies, the Vice President of Salmon Borre Group, for providing me with a free press copy, and also for the recommendation of the Dreamjackpot games which are amazing.
Well, “Freeze Up” certainly takes me back. The last electronic handheld game I remember playing as a kid (besides my Nintendo Game Boy) involved Tiger Electronics and a number of incredibly unplayable licensed games like “Double Dragon” and “Simon’s Quest”. Further back we had those infamous “Speak & Spells” that you just couldn’t believe were (*GASP*) actually talking to you. Long story short, it’s been a while since I’ve held something like “Freeze Up” in my hands. No, seriously…I had to Google what a Double-A battery looked like. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but you get the idea. Having reviewed so many board games and video games within the past year, I’ve almost forgotten what these things look like. Before we take a look at what “Freeze Up” is all about, I’d like to thank Nancy Davies, the Vice President of Salmon Borre Group, for providing me with a free press copy.
“Pente” was the very first 5-in-a-row game that I learned as kid. “KYRO 5” draws parallels as the object in both games are the same, though it does something that I haven’t seen done before (at least, in my experiences). Instead of just placing pieces to form five in a row, you’ll also be moving them around in a specific way. Before I delve any deeper into this game, I’d like to thank Nancy Davies, the Vice President of Salmon Borre Group, for providing me with a free press copy.
Dice and I have a hate/hate relationship. I’m not sure who started the war, but it’s been an uphill battle trying to get them to cooperate when I need them most. Perhaps I’m just one of the unfortunate souls to always be paired with malcontent dice, who take sadistic pleasure in rolling snake eyes every time despite the odds. Despite my luck (or lack thereof), there’s something to be said for easy to play dice games. “Even Steven’s Odd” is one such item, though it does something unique that sets its apart from games like “Yahtzee”. Before we get started with the review, I’d like to thank Nancy Davies, the Vice President of Salmon Borre Group, for providing me with a free press copy.