برچسب: Review

Blades of Fire review – brutal action RPG can’t get weird enough

Verdict

With its weapon-building systems and deliberate, targeted combat, Blades of Fire has a lot of fresh-feeling ideas. Its control scheme is strange and will force you to press each button with care. Its granular forging system makes you consider every weapon in your arsenal. But however differently it approaches them, the game only offers the same thrills as other action games of its ilk. Blades of Fire feels unique, but just can’t get weird enough.

The creators of Blades of Fire have played a lot of videogames. Developer Mercurysteam has spent a decade-plus working on classic series like Castlevania and Metroid. As might befit that pedigree, its latest effort is a bone-deep rethinking of action RPG trends. From moment to moment, Blades of Fire plays unlike anything else. The God of War and Dark Souls influence is apparent, but the game also has subtler inspirations. The swinging positionality of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, for one, and the gonzo action and stilted earnestness of Dragon’s Dogma for another. In an era of perfunctory crafting systems, Blades of Fire’s crafting alters every swing of every sword. However, despite its relentless cleverness, it can’t help but feel mundane and overdrawn. It lacks the verve of the genre’s best because it is so focused on its influences, resulting in a game that can feel lifeless and self-conscious. Blades of Fire might be a weird original, but it’s never quite weird enough.

On paper, Blades of Fire couldn’t be more typical. Protagonist Aran de Lira is a tough, gruff, and capable man. His family is dead. He lives alone on the edge of an oppressive kingdom, whose evil queen (also Aran’s childhood friend) turned all steel into stone, obliterating any challenge to her realm. When an old friend gives him one of the hammers that forged the world – allowing Aran to build an arsenal of steel weapons – he travels to end the queen’s reign once and for all, with the help of the puckish student Adso. For the most part, your adventure goes how you’d expect, with powerful foes to best, ancient mysteries to solve, and dank dungeons to explore.

Blades of Fire’s first gimmick is its forging system. You make every weapon from relative scratch, customizing each aspect of its construction, like the form of a sword’s crossguard or the length of a spear’s staff. Enemies drop magical items that temper the steel and wood you use to construct your weapons, making them better at blocking damage, piercing armor, or enduring as many fights as possible. Each variable changes the weapon, some by a little and some by a lot. No single one is good at everything, so you’ll have to craft to suit individual encounters or specific enemies. Unlike some of its RPG inspirations, Blades of Fire has no stat-based builds. You might develop favorites, but you’ll inevitably have to use multiple weapon types to progress.

As for combat, it features some novel ideas. While this is an action game at its heart, there are no real combos (though some attacks flow better together than others). Instead, you’ll pick the direction of your swings. Each weapon also bludgeons, pierces, or slashes foes, and these different damage types will be better (or worse) at hurting specific combatants. You can also swap between using a weapon’s blade or point. Slashes might help you better handle multiple swarming zombies, while stabbing could pierce a knight’s heavy armor. This system is the game’s biggest asset. The control scheme is unfamiliar enough that your muscle memory from other action RPGs is mostly useless. Enemy weaknesses and weak points also force you to pay attention and swap weapons, even in the heat of battle.

Adso will be your constant companion throughout, though you can send him back to camp if he annoys you. He is quite helpful, even if he’s useless in combat. Instead, he takes notes, detailing strategies to best enemies. Your relationship with Adso and his role as a helper closely models Atreus in 2018’s God of War reboot, but with a key difference: they have no history together. Most of their dialogue can trigger at one of multiple points, so their relationship has to remain somewhat static, meaning their dynamic lacks tension. I’m not saying their relationship has to be hostile, and they’re more richly explored in cutscenes, but the game’s structure makes it difficult for them to have an arc together. The fact that you can send him back to camp for extended periods underlines this. The game isn’t confident enough to invest in him.

These issues extend to Blades of Fire’s tone and setting. Generously, it feels like a Grimm fairy tale. The characters are broad legends. The lands they wander are old (and usually some variety of haunted). But it features a gentleness and a sense of humor. It bears a goofy grin, before it bares its fangs. In practice, however, it can feel like a Dreamworks cartoon with blood and guts. The effect is less the campfire chill of a good, brutal tale and more the muddled fantasy novel your friend in high school was writing. It’s enthusiastic and earnest, even charming, but is ultimately juvenile.

Blades of Fire’s world is dense, even if it often feels small. Some complain about the backtracking in Metroid, but every time you return to an old area in those games, your means of traversal will have expanded. Blades of Fire is packed with secrets, and it gives you free rein to explore at your leisure, but it regularly fails to surprise.

It’s also a very long game. I played nearly 20 hours before leaving its first map. This does give Aran’s journey a truly titanic scale, but it incorrectly assumes that its sometimes-exhilarating, often one-note combat is enough to sustain it over dozens of hours. So many of Blades of Fire’s enemies are basic reskins, even within the first few areas. Once you have an enemy’s attack patterns down, it becomes a chore to fight them time and again.

Blades of Fire is therefore best played at a leisurely pace, just like how an epic fantasy novel is best read. You should play it enough that you maintain muscle memory, but not so much as to burn yourself out on it. Still, I’m not convinced that playing it over a longer period would alleviate my frustrations. Even its title is staggeringly unevocative. Blades of Fire cannot be described cleanly as derivative, but it only approaches the same feeling I get from other games of its kind from a new angle. I want more from a game that demands so much of my time.

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20/05/2025
Birdy Call Party Game Review

You’ll like this if you like: Making silly noises and laughing with your friends!

This is a free review copy. See our review policy here.

Birdy Call is a silly, funny, and noisy party game where you need to impersonate Bird noises. You will either love it or hate it. But I would challenge anyone to watch others playing it (who are enjoying themselves) and not laugh! It is that sort of game. SO, let’s get it to the table and see how it plays.

Decide if you want to play with the advanced Eggstra birds or not. I suggest taking a few out, but more on that later. Shuffle the remaining cards and deal them out to the players based on player count Seven each for a three player, Five for a four player game, and four each for five to six players. Place the 25 eggs into the centre of the table, and you are now ready to play.

Players now play in real time, looking at all of their cards at once. First, check for any pairs in your hand. If you do have any, place them down and claim an egg. Then draw back up to the hand limit. If you don’t, pick one and start making the noise as described by that bird’s call on the bottom of the card. You can do this however you feel is best. Up to you! Whilst you are doing this, you must be listening out to the other players’ calls and trying to find a match to the call you are doing. You can move onto another card whenever you wish, and start trying a new call. But if you hear another player make a call similar to one you previously made, quickly find that card in your hand again, and make that call again to see if you have a match. If two players think they have a match, place your cards face down on the table in front of each other, flip them, and if they are indeed a match, both players claim an egg. Draw back up to your hand limit again, and go again. This continues until all eggs are claimed and the player with the most eggs wins.

There are five Eggstra cards. I recommend using just two of them. Here is how they work.

Waven – This is not technically an Eggstra bird, but it sure is different. Wave at other players instead of making a noise. Simple fun. Throw it in the deck.

Parrot – You can mimic any other player’s call when you have a Parrot in hand. When you reveal your cards and you reveal a Parrot instead of the actual card, the tricked player takes their card back and must pay you one egg. The Parrot is discarded. I do not get this at all. The other player can do nothing about this. It is just annoying. Very strange decision to include in this game. It winds kids right up. This card alone brings this game down a full mark in its overall score. Sure, you can just take it out, but its inclusion annoys me that much.

Hawkward – Fantastic name, annoying mechanic. When you have this card, play it face up in front of you, and start counting down from ten to zero, in silence. If each other player notices this (which they always will) and also falls silent and places their cards face down on the table, then this card is discarded. But if someone does not notice and keeps playing beyond these ten seconds, they must then lose two eggs. Not as annoying and mean as the Parrot, other players do have some agency here. But as I found, most players mostly notice, bar younger gamers, it is just pointless, slows the game down, and on the rare occasions it does work, just annoys people. No one gains anything. Some players may just lose something. Terrible addition. Another point lost from the overall score.

Peacock – OK, finally, a fun card! When you play your Peacock, hold your cards above your head like a group of feathers and shout the Peacock’s call. The first player to respond with the same action and call receives an egg, with the player who played the Peacock also gaining an egg. They don’t need a Peacock card themselves to do this; it’s simply a race. It’s fun, players gain things, and it is funny. Great card.

Robin – Play it, try and steal an egg from another player. If they spot you, you have to return it. If not, it’s yours. Zero jeopardy. You either steal or don’t. The person defending gains nothing from spotting you. It’s just annoying and feels like organised cheating, but not in a fun or clever way.

Is It Fun? Birdy Call Party Game Review

I want to love this game. We have had some games where we were all in hysterics. And I can see myself taking this with me to many holidays, parties, dinners, and events and having a blast with it. I just hate the fact that three of the extra birds are so bad. I mean, really bad. Sure, just take them out. But wow, come on. Who thought this was a good idea for a family-level party game? Who in testing thought that was a good idea? Take-that can be fun at times, but it needs some thought. Some two-way jeopardy. Not just a chance to steal stuff with no consequences. Or a card where you can flat out lie to another player about a card you have and then take an egg from them when they fall for it, with them having zero chance to block, defend, or know this is what is happening. Utterly ridiculous. I may simply burn these cards and pretend they never existed. Because the rest of the game is joyous, innocent fun. And these cards do not belong in this game at all.

It blows me away that these cards were chosen to be included. Some other cards could very easily have been added in that add positive effects that are funny, then benefit all players. Why anyone thought these effects added to the game genuinely blows me away, and honestly annoys me.

As such, I am giving this a six. I wanted to give it an eight. For a party game, if you like simple, silly fun, where you are happy to make silly noises and laugh at others doing the same, whilst they all laugh at you doing it too, this is perfect! But it does lose those marks as I should not have to remove cards from a game to make it better. The cards are optional, but their sheer existence annoys me that much. And other cards that offer mutual benefits and more fun would have been welcome. the game needs extra cards to add to the wrinkles. And it sadly now doesn’t have them due to this lazy and uneducated design work.

OK, rant over. I think you get the message. Great fun game. Cute, bright and vibrant art. Decent card stock. And worth a look if you like this sort of thing. And do tell me if you try those other cards and find a different experience. I would love to know.

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17/05/2025
A Perdition’s Mouth Card Game Review

You’ll like this if you like: Campaign games with clever card play.

This is a SPOILER FREE free review copy. See our review policy here.

Perdition’s Mouth: Abyssal Rift came out in 2016. It is a much-loved miniature-based dungeon crawler. It tells a story over a campaign of ‘diceless’ adventures! Well worth checking out if you enjoy that sort of thing. I have not played it myself, but heard good things. Anyway, Beyond the Rift carries on the story right from the point the previous game ended. The tutorial game for Beyond the Rift seems to be moments after the story had previously ended. If you played Perdition’s Mouth and enjoyed it, this may be something to look out for. But for those of us who have not played that game, this is a standalone game, and you do not need any prior knowledge to enjoy this game or the story it tells. But I do sense it would be better having played both. So, with that said, let’s get this to the table and see how it plays.

How To Set Up Beyond the Rift

There are a number of scenarios to play out in this game. Pick the one you want to play, ideally in order! And then set up the game according to the chosen scenario’s instructions as shown in the scenario book. You will not be able to play certain scenarios unless you meet the shown criteria. Generally speaking, having played the scenarios leading up to this one.

Start by shuffling and placing the Enemy Deck and Terrain Deck as directed by the scenarios specific set up. There will be different Terrain and Enemy cards in each scenario. Then, shuffle and place the Wound Deck, followed by the Fatigue Deck. Position the Threat Sheet and set the Threat level by placing a wooden cube on the appropriate space of the Threat track. Shuffle and place the Response Deck.

Each player now selects a hero and takes the corresponding Hero Board and Hero Deck, there is a bespoke deck of cards for each hero, along with a matching wooden cube. Now, shuffle your Hero Deck and draw your starting cards equal to your current hand count as dictated by the player count. All Hero Boards start on their standard sides—alternate sides can be unlocked during campaigns, indicated by a red glow on the hero’s name or globe. Players then set their Action Points to the starting value as shown on their Hero Board by placing the wooden cube accordingly.

Finally, ensure there is enough space for each player’s Hero Area, the Quest Area, and individual discard piles for each deck. Once everything is in place, you’re ready to begin!

How To Play Beyond the Rift

The game runs through five distinct phases until the specific criteria in the chosen scenario are met. In the opening scenario, you are trying to defend against the attacking enemies while moving through the various terrain, specifically doors, until there are no more doors left to move through. This simulates you running out of danger, through various rooms, and into freedom. It’s a very cool system. If you are ever to draw another terrain card and there are none left, and your threat level has not risen beyond a specific point, the heroes win! Essentially, you got through all the rooms. Clever huh! Other scenarios use a similar techniques to simulate time passing, moving from room to room, or various stages of battle.

The first phase is the Hero Phase. This is where you will do all the cool things with your cards that you want to do each round. Each Hero has their own number of Action points, represented in the game by a star surrounded by six small dots. You can spend these Action points now to play cards, largely to attack enemies, but also to destroy terrain and more. Each Hero will have their own Special Action as shown on their Hero board, which they can carry out one time per round. You can also pay Action points to discard cards to draw more if you don’t have the right hand. There are also plenty of cards that let you gain additional Action points, so you will find your turns can become quite exciting and complex quite quickly!

When you play an Attack card, you need to consider the position of the enemy you are attacking. If they are in the central area, they are two spaces from you. You can pay action points to draw an opponent into your action area, or use a ranged attack to target them where they are. You will then need to play an Attack card with a primary attack cost. Action points are shown on the top left of the card in order to use the card. Other cards will have secondary costs, and they can be used to supplement this attack and make it stronger. There are also secondary cards you can use to gain additional cards and action points as part of the attack, and some cards that can be reused if you are successful with the attack. Take note to read each card’s text carefully.

You will then target a specific enemy, unless you have a card allowing you to attack multiple foes, and then draw a response card for each enemy you are attacking. This will amend their own defence, seen on the enemy cards next to the shield. Total their complete defence against your attack value, and if you have a higher score, your attack succeeds. Draw a wound card for each enemy you successfully attack this way. This is slipped underneath the enemy’s card, with the bottom part visible, thus altering the enemy’s stats. If their health drops to zero or below at this point, the enemy card is removed from the game. If not, they remain in play, now with reduced stats, ready for a second attack.

Players can take as many turns as they like, using cards in this way, until they either decide to stop or run out of action points. You can take turns, have one hero run fully until the next begins. Whatever works for your group. Heroes can also aid other heroes’ actions by playing primary cards within range of the attack in the usual way. You can also play this game solo very easily, either with one or two heroes, or however you wish. It is all very flexible, and each scenario has a great setup guide for the number of heroes in the game and the difficulty level you want to play.

The second phase is when the Enemy has their chance to attack you. If none are left, they do nothing, but if any remain, then look at the scenario you are playing and draw a response card to see what the enemies will do. There will be a table for each scenario that will detail the action of any remaining enemy, based on what response card you draw. They may engage with you, disengage if already engaged, or more commonly, attack. Actions will happen in later scenarios. When they do, draw a response card for each enemy that attacks you, and compare their attack value on their card and the response card against any shield cards you may have left to play. If they are successful, draw one of the same Wound cards that you use when you attack them, but this time add it to your hand. And you won’t just add one for each successful attack. You add a card that represents the difference between the enemy’s attack and your defence. These cards stay in your hand and clog up your opportunities. You can play them, moving them into your discard pile, but they won’t do good things! If ever you draw a hand of nothing but Wound or Fatigue cards, more on that soon, your Hero, and therefore, entire missions, fails.

Phase 3 is the Quest Phase. Here, you will follow the scenario book again, and based on the current Threat level, you will do a specific thing, generally bringing more enemies and terrain into the mix! More will happen in later scenarios, but no spoilers here!

Next is the Draw Phase. Here you will check the number of unused cards you had from the previous round and then reset your Hero’s action points. This will be their starting points, plus one extra for each unused card. However, one hero gains two per card. Then draw your hand limit again, even if you have leftover cards. Now discard down to your hand limit from the leftover cards and recently drawn ones, forming a new hand for the next round. If you don’t have enough cards to draw your full hand, shuffle your discard pile and go again, but this time adding in two Fatigue cards into your deck. These will clog up your deck in a similar way to the Wound tokens. Then finally, it is the End Phase where typically the Threat level will increase.

Players will cycle through these phases until the scenario comes to an end, either through a hero dying, or the scenario criteria being met. You will then read through the end of the scenario text, gain any end of scenario benefits, then move on to the next scenario. Heroes’ decks continue from scenario to scenario, so wounds, fatigue, and any items you pick up may well stay with you, but there are ways to get rid of the bad stuff and gain more good stuff!

The scenarios offer narrative choices at the end. You can either move on to scenario 2a to do one thing, or 2b to do another. This will change your path permanently in the game, but you can of course go back and replay a mission and make other choices if you want to reset things, which is easily done. You can change heroes in between missions or keep the same one. Changing player count is also very simple.

Is It Fun? Beyond the Rift: A Perdition’s Mouth Card Game Review

This is a fantastic game. The card play is amazing. Quite simply, genius. I adore how the scenarios play out and how, when you think you are out of cards or action points, something happens where you find a way to do one more action. Cards spiral into others, and actions fall into a beautiful combination of multiple hits, attacks, and enemies defeated. It’s so clever, so fast, so simple, and so satisfying.

The storytelling in the scenarios is great as well. The text is interesting, well laid out, and short. You will find the story adds to the game and does not take an age to get through. It is a little odd when it talks about a hero you are not playing with, but that obviously cannot be helped.

Each of the characters has their own unique deck, as well as their own special power and unique ability to advance in the game (by flipping their character board over to reveal new powers). They also all have their own cards. It makes the game feel incredibly rich and makes each character, obviously, feel very much like their own different entity.

As you play, you can work together, sparring off each other’s moves, or focus on different enemies and plans. You can assist other players’ attacks, or in solo, just do your own thing. Both work, and both experiences are smooth, enjoyable, and absorbing. I have found some missions to be quite simple, but it is so easy to adjust the difficulty setting as you improve and always set the game to be at the right level of challenge you are after. Others are much harder.

If you lose, which I did a fair few times at the beginning (at the end of the first mission), I found the experience to be challenging. It made me want to play again. I felt no frustration or like it was a waste of time, as I often do in other campaign games where you have to replay missions. Rather, here, I was left energized to try again and think of ways to get better. The final battle at the end of the first scenario took three attempts, for example, so early on in the game, I was challenged to either get better or give up. I had a 100% sense of purpose to just get better. The game really grips you.

But it is those endless turns that make this game feel so special to me. When you think you are coming to the end of your turn, either your cards are running out, or your action point total is dwindling, you can often find ways to just keep going. Ideally, you will not leave enemies alive, or things not done. You can do as much as you want on your turn, so long as you have the action points or cards to do so, and the enemies and game don’t have a chance to react until you end this phase. So, do all you can. And often, one card that gives you action points, or one attack that gains you more cards can do just that. You can keep going for one more attack, or two, or more! It’s amazing what you can do once you get the hang of your character’s cards and how they combo with each other. It is genuinely so satisfying!

I still have a bit of the campaign to do, and some characters I have not used as much yet. But I plan to eke out as much gameplay from this box as possible. And when I am done, I will go again. This is not a once and done. Sure, the story can only be told once, but the spiraling branch of the scenarios means you can go back and do them again, and take different paths, play with different characters, and have a completely different experience. But even if I play the same mission over and over with the same character, I will still have fun. This is just such a well-built and well-constructed game with brilliantly tight mechanics, tension, card play, and game length.

I am amazed this game is not well known. I can only surmise it is the art style. The cards are quite bland, mostly with just text. And the things with art, it’s all a little brown, beige, and generic. The enemies are straight out of “who are the baddies in this fantasy film again?” and there is not a lot of original thought in the lore. But take that aside, the game itself is fantastic, and I love it.

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16/05/2025
Kinfire Delve (Callous’ Lab & Scorn’s Stockade) Card Game Review

Player Count: 1-2 (4* with second copy)

You’ll like this if you like: Something small deliver somehting that feels bigger

This is a free review copy. See our review policy here.

Kinfire Delve uses characters from the Kinfire world, as seen in Kinfire Chronicles and Kinfire Council. There are three games in the Delve system; here we are looking at two of those: Callous’ Lab & Scorn’s Stockade. They all work the same, offering two heroes known as Seekers to play with, and one bad guy to fight, known as Masters. They are all standalone 1-2 player games but can be combined simply to offer more variety or to boost the game up to a four-player experience. So, with that said, let’s get these to the table and see how they play.

How To Set Up Kinfire Delve

First, separate all the different cards, as shown by their different card backs. There will be three cards for the Master; shuffle them up and pick one at random, placing your chosen one face down in the centre of the play area. Now, take the Well deck, which will be the biggest one. Give this a good shuffle and remove the top three cards. You can remove more for a shorter game if you wish. Then place four cards face up surrounding the Master card, above, below, and on either side of it. Place the rest of the Well cards in a face-down deck next to this. Now find the Master’s four final Gauntlet cards and set them aside on the table to use later. Next, set aside the progress tokens, and place them in two separate piles to the side along with the dice. One of the dice, the black one, represents your health. Set it to 10 for a normal game, 8 for a hard one. This is a group collective health so doesn’t change with player count. If you took more than three cards out from the Well deck for a shorter game, you must now remove two from your health total. Now, place out the Exhausted cards, shuffled in a face down pile.

Finally, each player takes one of the two characters. Or, you can use characters from other boxes if you prefer. Remove their character card, placing it face up in front of you, and their Lantern card, placing it face down beside this. The Lantern card is a powerful card you can use when charged up. This will be self-evident, generally by doing something as shown on one of your other cards, but you will generally only get to use it once or twice if you are lucky per game. Then shuffle the remaining 18 cards and draw seven into your starting hand. One more for a single-player game. One less for a three-player game, and two less for a four-player game. You are now ready to play.

How To Play Kinfire Delve

Players will now take turns interacting with one of the four cards surrounding the Master card. These will either be Event cards or Challenges. Event cards will detail what they do and how they work on them. To interact with them, simply do as the card says on your turn. When you choose a challenge card, it will have either a red, green, or blue border. On the top left, it will also show the challenge score you need to equal or beat. There will also be some text on the card that details more effects of how the challenge works. If the text is in bold, this card will have an effect in play all the time the card is here, whether you challenge it this turn or not. It could affect other challenge totals, so be sure to read all bold text out when you play any new challenge card down.

OK, now that you have picked which challenge card you want to interact with, you can make a choice. Do you want to play one of your cards from your hand to help complete this challenge? The challenges will come in all types: Combat, Obstacles, Puzzles, and Traps. You can only play a card that matches the colour, but it could be any type. Although, some cards and characters do better against certain types of challenges. If you play a card, it will have a number on the top left that will reduce the challenge card number by the same amount. If you play a card, and you don’t have to, the other player(s) can now choose to boost this card if they want. In a solo, you can boost yourself. In multiplayer, only other players can boost. You can boost with one or two cards. No more. If you boost, you are looking at the boost score on the bottom of the card. Everything else on that card becomes redundant. Again, you need to match the colour of the challenge with the colour of the boost card. Note, white is wild for all effects like this. Any boost played at this point will add to your total of what you are chipping away at against the challenge card’s total. Now finally, you MUST roll the dice. Whether you played a card or not, whether you had your card boosted or not, you must always roll dice.

The dice faces show colours matching the challenge cards, as well as one that shows a white and black face. The whites are wild and can be added to any matching colours rolled to add to the total of your attempt at that challenge. The black dice may have a counter effect. Check the current challenge card’s text, the face-up text on the Masters card, and on any other cards you may have played at that point. If you successfully meet or exceed the challenge, then you will gain the reward as shown on the card. This will mostly be to discard a certain number of cards from the Well deck, to delve down deeper, quicker. If you did not, add challenge tokens to the total you met to the card to show the progress you made. Your attempt was not in vain, but the card will show a fail effect that you must now take. This could be to lose health, discard cards, or some other effect.

Once this is done, replace any of the four cards around the Master that may now not be there with the top card from the Well deck, and play moves to the next player. Note, there is no drawing back up to your hand limit or anything like that. Players need to manage their hand carefully, using various powers to draw back up cards and help their fellow Seekers gain additional cards. If you ever run out or decide you want to get more cards, you can draw back up to your hand limit, but you must also draw the top Exhausted card, read it, and place it face up for all to see. These are always bad and can sometimes mean you immediately lose the game if you get too many. If you do this, you can then take your turn as usual. It does not replace a normal go.

If you ever get to a point where you need to replace a Well card and there are none left, then you can discard any remaining Well cards left face up in the play area, and replace them with the four Gauntlet cards you set aside during setup. Place these around the Master and flip over the Master card to reveal which of the three Masters you are facing this time. Read the text on all cards to see how you will defeat the Master. Each one has a different effect, strength, and weakness.

If you can defat the Master you win the game. If at any pint you run out of your health, or a Exhausted card tells you, you will lose the game.

Is It Fun? Kinfire Delve (Callous’ Lab & Scorn’s Stockade) Card Game Review

The cards in this game look absolutely gorgeous, showcasing a vibrant array of colours and intricate designs that immediately capture the eye. The attention to detail is evident, making each card not only functional but also a visual delight. The lovely, matt card stock used contributes to a premium feel, along with the foil effect present on the back of some cards. This shimmering detail adds a touch of elegance and sophistication, enhances the visual appeal and also creating a tactile experience that is pleasing to the touch.

The game comes packaged in a thick, sturdy box that is designed to withstand the rigors of transport and storage. Its actually a little hard to pry open due to the thickness of the stock, but feels great. The dice are nicely screen printed, which adds another layer of quality to the game components. However, it is worth noting that, while the printing is sharp and clear, players should handle the dice with care. Over time, I have found dice with screen printing can wear off if not treated cautiously.

The method of tracking health with a D10 is somewhat rudimentary. While it serves its purpose, some players may find it lacks the sophistication or ease of use that more advanced tracking systems could provide. A more innovative approach to health tracking could enhance the gameplay experience, allowing for smoother and more engaging interactions during play.

The challenge tokens, while functional, are a little basic in design. They serve their purpose but do not stand out in terms of creativity or visual appeal compared to other components of the game. I would be keen to an upgrade on the challenge tokens and dice one day!

Overall, despite some minor critiques regarding the health tracking system and the design of the challenge tokens, the production quality of this game is amazing. The combination of beautiful cards, sturdy packaging, and well-made components creates an impressive package. The attention to detail in the design and production process reflects a commitment to quality that is commendable and enhances the overall enjoyment of the game.

Game wise, this experience is nothing short of amazing. With just 18 cards at your disposal, the possibilities are extensive and varied. The depth of strategy that emerges from such a compact deck is truly impressive. Hand management becomes a crucial aspect of gameplay, as players must skilfully navigate their strengths and weaknesses of their character and current hand, while also considering those of their teammates.

Players can easily adjust the difficulty to suit their preferences or the experience level of those involved. This adaptability ensures that both newcomers and seasoned players can enjoy the game without feeling overwhelmed or underchallenged. The different sets offer different challenges too.

As you race through the well deck, it becomes evident that you will only encounter approximately 25% of the cards during any given game. Roughly speaking! This limited exposure means that each session feels unique, as you are likely to encounter cards you haven’t seen in quite some time, or ever! The element of surprise is amplified by the timing and combination of cards that surface, creating an unpredictable and exciting atmosphere. This unpredictability enhances the replay value of the game, as players are encouraged to adapt their strategies on the fly. Some cards need others to come up to come into affect, either for you or against you. This unpredictability is a brilliant addition to the dynamic of the game.

The inclusion of three different master cards in each box adds another layer of complexity and excitement to the game. Each player’s experience can vary significantly based not just on which master they choose to face, but also on which master card they draw, creating a delightful sense of anticipation each game. The uncertainty of which master card will appear when you reach the bottom of the well, keeps players on their toes, as they cannot fully plan their endgame strategy until they are right in the thick of it. This dynamic interplay of cards further ensures that no two games are ever the same, further enriching the overall experience.

The clever card play mechanics are truly genius. Each card is designed with intricate details that enhance gameplay, featuring unique bonus effects and smart interactions that encourage players to think creatively. The ways in which cards can be played and combined open up a myriad of tactical possibilities, rewarding players who take the time to explore the nuances of their options. This clever design makes the game stimulating, allowing players to feel a sense of accomplishment and intelligence with every successful move they make. Its truly wonderful!

This game is structured in such a way that it can be played in under an hour, (or much less if you lose fast!) making it an ideal choice for both casual gatherings and more serious game nights. The setup process is quick and straightforward, and teaching the rules to new players is a breeze. With its engaging mechanics and the continual surprise of new card interactions,

added to the combination of strategic depth, customisable gameplay, and clever design elements not only makes this game a joy to play but also ensures that it will be revisited time and time again by anyone who gets their hands on a copy. I am delighted I have two! I must seek out the third now!

The only reason I do not rank this higher, although 8.5 is pretty high, is that the games can be very tense. And that is great! But then, after an hour, if you lose on one unlucky roll, or one unlucky card draw, it can be tough to take. This doesn’t happen much. Once in ten so far for us. But it was frustrating. Generally, you make your own luck in this game. And games are short, and easily played again when things like this happen. But I would like some more dice mitigation. There is some, but not much, and not for all characters. Also, the Exhausted cards in some games are a lot more interesting then others. Some just kill you if you have too many. That felt lazy to me. Others, actually have some interesting affects in you as you play.

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16/05/2025
Tokaido Board Game Review
Tokaido

You’ll like this if you like: Simple games, that play quickly, but offer a nice choice

This is a free review copy. See our review policy here.

Tokaido was first published in 2012. It was a bit of a cult classic. Beautifully produced. Simple but gorgeous art. And a clean and wonderfully flowing gameplay experience. Recently, Stonemaier, the publisher behind games such as Scythe, Wingspan, and Tapestry, has acquired the rights to the game and produced their own version. There are a few minor rule tidy-ups and component enhancements. But the main change is the addition of a solo player mode. If you own the base game, you can buy just the solo-mode rules and components required for this, along with the new Panorama cards, which have been printed on a better card stock; and as such, included in the solo mode. So, that anyone who wants just these added to their base game can acquire them cheaply. But is this game any good? Does it stand up to 13 years of change in the board game industry? Let’s get it to the table and find out.

To set up the game, which is a breeze, begin by placing the game board on a flat surface. Next, lay out the Achievement cards face up beside the board. Shuffle each deck of cards separately: the Souvenir cards (with a black back), the Hot Spring cards (light blue back), the Encounter cards (purple back), and the Meal cards (red back). Place each shuffled deck face down near the board. Next, organise the Panorama cards by type; Sea, Mountain, and Paddy, and arrange them in ascending order by value, placing the ‘1’ card on top, followed by ‘2’, then ‘3’, and so on. Position these resulting piles on their designated spots on the board. Then place the coins next to the board to serve as the bank.

Now, each player selects a Traveller piece along with the corresponding coloured marker and colour token. Place the marker on square zero of the Journey point track. This now runs around all four corners of the board, rather than just the top.

Then, each player draws two Traveler tiles at random, chooses one, and places it face up in front of them. For first-time players, there’s an option to simplify the game by starting with 7 coins instead of selecting a Traveler tile. Note, each card grants you a specific unique power. Next, place your colour token into the hole of your chosen Traveler tile to mark your colour. Return all unselected Traveler tiles to the box, as they won’t be used in the game.

Each player then receives coins equal to the number indicated in the upper right corner of their chosen Traveler tile. Finally, randomly place all Traveler pieces in a line at the leftmost inn (Kyoto). Alternatively, players may choose to start at the rightmost inn (Edo) and move from right to left throughout the game. Crazy huh! For two-player games, introduce a third, neutral Traveler to the starting inn. This neutral Traveler is controlled by the player whose Traveler is ahead on the road and follows specific movement rules we will cover later. You are now ready to play.

In Tokaido, the player whose Traveler is furthest behind on the road takes the next turn. If multiple players share the same space, the one closest to the edge of the board goes next.

On your turn, you move your Traveler forward toward Edo, (if you are going that way!) choosing any unoccupied space up to the next inn. You can skip over spaces if you wish, but you cannot move beyond the next inn. Once you land on a space, you immediately gain its benefit, such as collecting a card or earning coins. More on that soon.

After your move, the player now furthest behind takes the next turn. If you remain the furthest back after your move, you get another turn immediately. This turn order system encourages strategic planning: moving further ahead might secure a desired spot but could allow other players multiple turns before your next move. Balancing the timing and distance of your moves is key to maximizing your journey’s rewards. But there is only one spot available at each destination. Although, in Tokaido, some board locations have double spaces, which are used in the four or five-player games. The first traveler to arrive occupies the space on the road; the next traveler uses the adjacent space, considered slightly further along the journey. This is not available in a two or three player game though.

So, what can you do along the way, and how do you score points. Let’s look at them all one-by-one.

The Shop: When you stop here, you will draw the top three Souvenir cards and place them face up. You can choose to buy one or more of these cards by paying their listed prices, which range from one to three coins. Any cards you don’t purchase are placed face down at the bottom of the deck. Souvenirs come in four types: small objects, clothing, art, and food & drinks. Collecting different types in a set earns you increasing points: One point for the first unique type, three for the second, five for the third, and seven for the fourth, totalling up to 16 points for a complete set. You can start new sets at any time, and there’s no requirement to complete a set before beginning another. Note that you must have at least one coin to stop at a Village, but you’re not obligated to buy anything.

Hot Spring: Landing on a Hot Spring space allows you to draw one Hot Spring card and add it to your collection, scoring two or three points immediately.

Temple: When you stop at a Temple space, you must donate between one and three coins to the temple, placing them in the area corresponding to your colour on the top left of the board. For each coin donated, you immediately score one point. This donation contributes to your total at the end of the game, where the most generous donor receives 10 points, the second seven points, and the third four points. All other donors receive two points each. If multiple players tie for a rank, they each receive the points for that rank.

Encounters: In Tokaido, when you land on an Encounter space, you draw one Encounter card and apply its effect. Afterward, place the card face-up in your collection. These effects vary and include:
Shokunin (Artisan): Draw a Souvenir card and add it to your collection, scoring points immediately.

Annaibito (Guide): If you haven’t started the depicted panorama, gain a value 1 card of the appropriate type. If you’ve started it, gain the next number in ascending order. If completed, start or add to a different panorama of your choice, scoring points as usual.

Samurai: Immediately score 3 points.

Kuge (Noble): Gain 3 coins immediately.

Miko (Shinto Priest): The player immediately gains one coin and places it as an offering in the Temple on the area corresponding to their colour. They score one point for this donation.
Inn: Inns are mandatory stops where players can purchase Meal cards. Each Meal card costs one, two, or three coins and provides six victory points upon acquisition. The first player to arrive at an Inn draws a number of Meal cards equal to the number of players plus one, selects one to purchase, and places the remaining cards face down for other players to choose from. Subsequent players may purchase one of the remaining Meal cards, provided they can afford it. A player cannot purchase more than one Meal card per Inn and is not obligated to buy one. Additionally, a player cannot choose the same culinary specialty more than once during their journey. If you cannot afford to eat, or cannot by a new unique meal, you miss out! There is a benefit to getting to the Inn early, but do not rush there, you will miss out on important stops along the way. Getting this balance right is key.

Players will leave the inn in reverse order to which they arrived and continue their journey. When you reach the final inn, the game continues for other players and ends when all players have reached the final inn and chosen their final meal. Players then add points for four awards. The Collector: Awarded to the player with the most Souvenir cards. The Gourmet: Given to the player who has the highest total coin value on their Meal cards. The Chatterbox: Granted to the player who has collected the most Encounter cards. And finally, the Bather: Bestowed upon the player with the most Hot Spring cards.

finally, Travelers earn extra points based on their donor ranking to the Temple. The most points wins!

The two-player game uses a dummy third player. This is controlled by the player in the position closest to the start of their journey. When the neutral traveler lands on a Temple space, the player who moved them must donate one coin from the bank to the Temple, placing it on the space corresponding to the neutral traveler’s colour. This action impacts the final Temple donation scoring, as all coins donated to the Temple are considered during the end-game calculation of additional points for Temple offerings.

At Inns, the first player to arrive draws four Meal cards. When the neutral traveler stops at an Inn, the player who moved them takes the Meal cards and discards one at random, placing it face down at the bottom of the pile without revealing it. Otherwise, the game plays as usual. This simply adds some extra tension, as more spaces will be blocked to you along the way.

The solo game works using new Automa cards. Set up as usual, but then set up two separate Automa players. Do this by selecting a colour and placing the corresponding Traveler piece and colored marker for each one. Then, set aside space for coins and cards next to each Automa. Then, place the Automa’s colour token and one coin into their play area, immediately scoring one point for the coin. Note that the Automa does not receive a Traveler tile.

I won’t go into full detail here how this plays out, but you then play as normal, drawing a card for each of the Automa’s turns, telling you where to place it. They will score points based on the amount of each thing they get, card or coin. The type of card they get isn’t the point. It is the type. So they are encouraged to visit the same thing as often as they can, mirroring the way human players prioritize a few things in the game, as you cannot go for all areas of scoring in this game. It is a very clever, simple, intuitive and enjoyable system.

Is it Fun? Tokaido Board Game Review

Playing Tokaido is delightful. The decisions are straightforward yet rich with strategic depth. The game presents a constant dilemma: Should I advance quickly to secure a specific space, or take my time to explore more options, potentially missing that one crucial chance? This balance between speed and thoroughness adds a layer of excitement and replayability, as each choice feels significant and impactful.

Tokaido offers a delightful blend of simplicity and strategic depth, making it an engaging experience for players of all levels. The game’s mechanics are straightforward, allowing for quick learning and smooth gameplay. A two-player game can be completed in about 20 minutes, while a three-player game typically wraps up in under 30 minutes. This efficiency makes it an excellent choice for short gaming sessions or as a warm-up to more complex games. But you will still feel like you have played a game after this.

One of the game’s core decisions revolves around choosing between advancing quickly to secure a desired spot or taking a more leisurely pace to gather additional experiences along the way. This decision-making process is simple yet impactful, providing a satisfying sense of agency without overwhelming complexity. Especially when players are chasing different goals.

But the game truly shines when players pursue similar objectives, leading to increased interaction and strategic competition. In these moments, paying close attention to opponents’ moves becomes crucial, adding a layer of depth and excitement to the journey. This dynamic encourages players to adapt their strategies and enhances the overall enjoyment of the game.

Tokaido is a beautifully crafted game that combines ease of play with meaningful choices, offering a serene yet engaging experience that comes alive through player interaction and thoughtful decision-making. It stands up still after all these years, and this new production is wonderful. If you don’t have the game yet, I would heartily encourage you to check it out if you enjoy set-collection games. If you won it and fancy the solo mode, give that a go.

It’s a very simple game. Maybe too simple for some. But I enjoy the different ways to play and score. I do favour the Panorama cards, simply because they look so nice when complete. I get a real sense of satisfaction simply by gaining all cards in each one so I can see the complete panorama before me. Tokaido really is just that type of game. Stonemaier has done a wonderful job with this new edition. The game keeps the core mechanics, tidies up the rule book a little, adds the solo mode, and brings in other simple changes, such as detailing the powers of each of the Traveler cards so you don’t need to refer to the rule book. The front of the cards is the same with the same icons, but on the back you now have the detail. This simple change summarises the craft and class this reprint has seen. Everything has been done with the game’s original core beauty in mind, simply refining a few edges. Well done to all.
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15/05/2025
Friends & Family Expansion Board Game Review

Mythwind: Friends & Family

You’ll like this if you like: Stardew Valley, a hot cup of Coco with a blanket by the fire.

This is the reviewer’s copy after I backed both of the Kickstarter’s for the base game and this expansion; but the publisher sent me a play mat and Sprite miniatures upgrade for free. See our review policy here. I have played the game with all four available characters, but there is a fifth expansion character I don’t have. I have played in solo mostly, but also two-player.

If you want to read about how you play the base game and what we think of that, head here. The summary is, I love the game, and this love has only grown over time. I enjoy all the characters, although probably the Ranger the most. I have continued to enjoy unlocking and revealing new secrets and surprises as I have spent more and more time with this unique, relaxing, explorative, and never-ending game.

How To Set Up Mythwind: Friends & Family

OK, so what about this new expansion? The second for the game. Well, it adds a few modules that you can add to the game at your pleasure. But the star of the show is the new Friends and Family additional board. It sits to the right of the existing boards and can be added to any game at the end of any season. Slotted into anyone ongoing campaign, no worries at all.

You will find inside the box a few revised building tokens. They link to these new friends you are about to make. Swap all the tokens out from your original building cards, including any buildings you may have already built. Then, for these buildings, the ones you have already constructed within your Village, add in the corresponding friend card to the new friends board. When you do this, read the back of the card for some flavour text about this new friend you just met. Now place the new Friendship tray alongside this, with the Child Dice, Heart Tokens, and all the new cards inside. There are a few other cards to update, such as a replacement Sun card for the Weather deck, which has some additional symbols on it. And the new Interaction cards and some character-specific cards if you are currently playing with the Ranger or Innkeeper.

How To Play Mythwind: Friends & Family

The main change is when you interact with one of the new building tokens that have a character depicted on them in your daytime action phase. When this action is done, you can then take the new Socialise action. Here, you can roll your Sprite and Villager dice to try and increase your level of friendship with the associated friend card. The card will show the roll you need to match or beat. This will be based on your player count and the current level of friendship you have with them. All Friends join the game as an Acquaintance. You can advance them all to Pal, Best Friend, and then Companion. All players joining in with this Socialise action can roll any of their hired workers to try and meet this requirement. If you do, place a Heart from the supply on the card. Each level of friendship will have a level of hearts required to advance that card to the next stage. If you fail, you simply do not add any hearts onto the card. All dice used this way are returned to their character afterwards, keeping the same number of pips shown on the die. They cannot be used for another action that day now. Any dice showing zero pips are rerolled at dusk as usual, and added back to the tower. When you meet a desired level of hearts, that card is immediately upgraded to the next level. Find the new card in the deck, replace the old one, and read the back of the new card. This will add some new flavour text.

This upgrade will also come at a cost. The cost will depend upon which character you are playing, and the level of upgrade. It is shown in the rule book, but each character will have to give up some of their resources to do this. You can hold off paying this cost if you don’t want to, or cannot afford it yet.

And the point of all this? Well, to get married, of course! Not all friends can get to this level, but they can all reach Companion status. It is shown on the front of each card what is possible for each new character. Companion is the top level and will be a unique ability to you and your village. When you use a town linked to a Companion, you can use this new ability.

When buildings linked to Friends leave your Village, so too do the Friends, losing any unspent Hearts if present. But when you reach Marriage level, the Friend stays with you for life. When your marriage-eligible Friend becomes a companion, the new companion card will tell you to shuffle an adventure card from this new Expansion linked to that character into the adventure deck. Then, when you resolve that adventure, you can marry this friend. You will have a choice when you do this; you do not have to. I won’t show the cards here or go into it too much, as that would be a spoiler. But it is down to you. You can even say no for now, and then maybe change your mind later. But if you say yes, there are benefits coming your way.

Any married friend will then have their card from the Friend board moved and placed face up near the player’s character board. They are now permanently linked with that player. Players can now use this companion using workers as usual during the day phase, taking advantage of their abilities. You can only ever marry one friend in the game. So choose wisely!

Later on in the game, married players can have children. This will be activated through Event cards. Children come in the form of the above dice and can add extra workers during the day phase. You will roll your Child dice at Dawn and gain either an additional villager or sprite worker, or lose one coin. Like in real life, kids can help a lot! But they cost money!

The other main addition in this expansion is the Interaction cards. These allow players to buy and sell goods to and from each other. During setup, gather the cards with the pictures of the characters that are in the current game and distribute them to their owners. Then, as a daytime town action, you can place your mini onto the card, the alignment is shown in the top right, and resolve an interaction instead. To do so, simply pay the cost shown on the top of the card; you pay to the other player, so this is a good way to keep money in the game between players, rather than giving it back to the bank all the time. Then, they will provide you with a good or service they specialize in. This will convert to town resources, money, skills, or other beneficial items.

Is It Fun? Mythwind: Friends & Family Expansion Board Game Review

I will always include this in the game when I play now. I have added everything in. I play mainly solo, so I won’t use the interaction cards as much, but I like them, and they work well. The main addition, though, is the Friendship Board and Tray. It feels like a lot to add, size and components-wise, as it is two whole new things to add to the table. But it really doesn’t change the game much and adds only a small additional amount of choice and time to the game. The changes are a little disappointing, I would say, at first. But like everything in Mythwind, good things come to those who wait. This is a slow build, and as it should be. These friends come as strangers. They build up to companions and then maybe even married partners with children. And then you get all the benefits and changes you wanted to see in this expansion. The challenge to get to marriage with each of the characters you are playing with in the game is a delightful, well-timed, and rewarding one. It may just initially seem like very little has happened. But that’s the point. It takes time to win people over, get to know them, and become their proper friend.

It is worth noting as well that the game has taken a lot of care to be fully inclusive with this expansion. There are multiple pronouns within the new friends. It seems the designers have made a big effort to make everyone feel included and represented within the lore of this game.

Much like the base game, everything in this expansion sets up and puts away very simply. I have heard some complaints about that, which confuse me, as it is all very quick and simple, just like the base game. There are some major printing issues, though, where characters have other characters’ text printed on the back of their cards. You need to work out who is mixed with whom and find the right card to read when you display the front of the other side of another card. It was all a bit confusing at first, but I have figured it out now. But it’s a shame a game of this production quality, that clearly has had so much heart and soul poured into it, has gone to print with so many drastic and frustrating printing errors.

I would suggest the game needs to see future expansions focused more around two things: new characters and new events and adventures. This is the part of the game I sense is the most popular, and what I like most about it: developing and growing new characters, and going on new adventures, with new things happening in the town. I do think the Ranger could be expanded in an exciting way too. The expeditions they go on feel a little mechanical. I would be interested in an expansion just for that character where you get to move onto other new boards, discover new land, expand your town, and maybe even meet and interact with other nearby, and maybe even far away, towns and characters. That would be epically fun in this humble reviewer’s opinion.

But if you are looking for new content for this game, and are a fan of the base game, I think you will find this fits seamlessly into your gameplay and enhances the multiplayer experience. The opportunities to become married with children, to gain additional dice, and additional benefits from your companions is a welcome one. Just do not expect it to have a big instant impact. Nothing else in this game does, so why should this? But I know that, and was still a little disappointed at first, and now I really like it. I just want you to go in with your eyes open unlike me! It is also a little disappointing that the friends do not have much impact on you until you become their companion. It feels like a missed opportunity to see some kind of benefit from the friends as you grow your relationship with them. This is why the score is a little lower, as I just wanted a bit more of an impact.

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12/05/2025
No video review this week!

March 18, 2021Quintin Smith News

Tom: Good morning everybody, and a happy… THURSDAY? Oh no. I have overslept terribly.

Listen, I can explain my tardiness. Each limb of Shut Up & Sit Down digitally assembled earlier in the week to chat about what exciting content we’re putting out, and all we had to show for it was a big collective moan. Well, that and the productive decision to not put out a video this week; sliding our schedule back a notch to make sure everything’s looking less exhausted. It’s ‘the year’, what else can we say?

You can still expect a podcast on Friday – Quinns and I are going to have a little ramble about a smattering of solo RPGs that I’ve been playing over the past couple days and weeks. I think it’ll be a lot of fun, so keep your ears open so that one can crawl in and have itself a home.

Normal video service will resume next week – and until then, stay hydrated! xx

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05/05/2025
Days Gone Remastered Review: Back From the Dead

Days Gone Remasterered Deacon Horde via IGDB

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Published: Apr 30, 2025 12:01 pm

Days Gone occupies a weird place in gaming culture. It sold nine million copies, but barely made a dent in day-to-day culture and gaming discussions. In a strange way, that makes it perfect for a remaster. Old fans get to replay the game optimized for PS5, while new ones can discover it for the first time.

A common criticism – and one that rings true, to an extent – is that Days Gone has an identity crisis. The open world exploration brings to mind Red Dead Redemption. The focus on biking is very Sons of Anarchy. The zombie apocalypse and day/night cycle bring to mind Dying Light, while the emotional beats are reminiscent of The Last of Us. However, Days Gone Remastered manages to feel distinct from all of these.

Image Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment via The Escapist

You play as Deacon St. John – a violent but ultimately good-hearted biker whose beloved wife, Sarah, dies in the opening hours of a zombie outbreak. Two years later, Deacon ekes out an existence living in the wilderness of Oregon, doing jobs for the various survivor camps dotted around the wilderness.

A Bloody Good Time

Gameplay largely consists of travelling around the countryside and abandoned towns, fighting freakers (Zombies, in classic “Not-using-the-Z-word” fashion) and human enemies, ranging from marauders to the deadly Rippers. There’s plenty of side content to enjoy, ranging from clearing outposts to taking down hordes of up to 500 freakers.

While taking down hordes seems impossible at first, it’s a huge moment when you clear your first one. It’s always fun to race through obstacles, waiting for the perfect moment to spring a trap.

Along the way, you’ll find various encampments filled with survivors, which offer an interesting, if ultimately shallow, morality system. Most camps will offer either guns or upgrades to your bike, and early on, you’ll be forced to choose whether to send any survivors you find to a work camp or one under martial law and run by a conspiracy nut. It’s a dilemma, but one that’s instantly solved as soon as you unlock the third camp. Lost Lake offers bike upgrades and guns, and quickly cements itself as the good option. While you might need to send survivors elsewhere from time to time, sending them here just feels right.

Image Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment via The Escapist

Compared to a lot of post-apocalyptic worlds, the Farewell Wilderness feels alive. Everywhere you go, you’ll see deer darting across the path, enemy camps, or survivors to rescue. Deacon will meet plenty of people he can interact with and do missions for. While none of the bonds feel as strong as one like Joel and Ellie’s, these characters still feel important and deep. You’ll see his annoyance at a happy-go-lucky addict, or his protectiveness of a mentally broken young woman. Missions are separated not just into what they are but who they focus on, so you can see these relationships progress; however, there are no choices to make here, and many of them are story-mandated, so you’ll complete most of them as you play the game.

Blood, Bikes, and Booms

The best new addition is Horde Assault mode, an endless game mode where you’ll face progressively bigger and bigger hordes until you eventually die. There are different zones for the mode, each of which thrusts you into a different section of the map. Unlike something like The Mercenaries it’s a frankly huge chunk of the map, and there’s no time limit – you just keep going until your inevitable death.

However, Days Gone Remastered isn’t quite as beautiful or as detailed as many of its contemporaries. It’s pretty, but doesn’t look as good as the games it emulates. The remaster improves the lighting, the number of enemies on screen, and the skybox is gorgeous, but it doesn’t quite look as good as it wants to. There are a few floating textures from time to time, or somewhat cheap visual effects.

Image Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment via The Escapist

As good as the story is, it does make an odd habit of cutting things out. Cutscenes will occasionally jump from Point A to Point C, going from cause to effect without showing us the action. Deacon will frequently discuss the bounties he’s picked up as if we’re supposed to know who they are.

There were also a few glitches – nothing major, but it was annoying to see an aura around a character. A few times, I saw freakers flying through the air or fighting with nothing while I took potshots at them. Most annoyingly was a recurring glitch where the music would play so loudly that it drowned out the dialogue. It only happened a few times, but it was always frustrating, despite the gorgeous soundtrack.

Overall, Days Gone Remastered is a fantastic, if flawed, game. It isn’t quite as good as the games it emulates, but if “It’s not The Last of Us” is a valid complaint, then it’s one you can throw at most titles. It’s a game that absolutely deserves your time, either as a replay or for the first time.

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30/04/2025
Conservas Review – One Board Family
I’m a sucker for a good fishing themed board game. For some reason, fishing of the cardboard variety is far better than the real-life kind. Conservas is a solo bag building game from Scott Almes, a designer that I really enjoy. Even though I’m not a fan of solo gaming, Conservas has its hooks in me and keeps reeling me in.

The Daily Catch

In this game, you’ll run a fishing and canning operation off the coast of Spain. Each season starts with a single boat, some cash in hand, and a bag of tokens that is dictated for that season. Conservas takes you through 12 months of fishing using a spiral bound book. Each month will have a unique win condition, some have special rules, and two difficulty goals to reach.

In each round of the season, you’ll draw five tokens blindly from the bag for each boat you own and the Open Water card on the table. You’ll have to assign the five tokens before drawing five more, eventually filling each available card.

Each boat in the game has a catch requirement that has to be met. You can meet this requirement with fish tokens or the worthless water tokens that are clogging up the bag. All the other tokens are placed at the bottom of the card, showing that they are still in the “open water” and not on the boat.

To Can or Not to Can

As you pull the sea life on board, you have to make decisions on how to use these tokens. Each season has spots in the book that pay cash if you choose to can your fish. Money can be tight in this game and you’ll need cash to purchase new boats to expand your saltwater empire.

The canning requirements can sometimes be a single fish type, or multiples of a specific fish in order to get paid. In some seasons, you’ll earn more money as you can specific types of fish. In other seasons, you can saturate the market, earning less money if you keep canning the same type of catch.

Your fish tokens can also be spent on Upgrade cards which give your operation some nice perks. Conservas does a great job of giving players multiple avenues to solve the puzzle. Some Upgrade cards definitely feel more powerful than others. You’ll start to look for some of these after your first couple games.

Before the end of each round, you can purchase a new boat and wipe the Upgrade and Boat cards to get a fresh set of three on the table. During the night phase of the round, you’ll spend your cash to maintain your fleet of boats as you head into the next day. By the way, the punny boat names in the game are fantastic.

Conservation is Key

The fish you catch in Conservas is almost as important as the fish you leave in the sea. During the night phase of each round, any fish that were in the Open Water (this includes the fish under the boats that were not caught) will spawn new tokens. If you leave three mussels uncaught, you’ll spawn that number of mussels minus one. This is vital to making sure that you have fish in the bag as you move from round to round.

Conservas is all about making sure that you don’t overfish the sea and long term planning to meet the goals of that season. In my first two games, I bought a fleet of boats too early and sold every fish I could. I found myself grabbing water token after water token, unable to fulfill any orders and failing pretty quickly.

Since Conservas is a bag builder, a big part of the game is keeping a mental tally of what you believe is in the bag. Unless an Upgrade card gives you the chance, you cannot look into the bag to survey what’s available.

Trial and Error

While I love the artwork and I’m a fan of the designer, I was immediately repelled because it was a solo game. I’m an extravert that loves this hobby so much because of the social atmosphere that gaming brings. I gave Conservas a try and it’s been one of my favorite gaming experiences this year.

Each game of Conservas takes around twenty minutes and there are times when you know the mistakes you made in round four are going to sink your operation. The game plays quickly and I’ve gotten into the habit of playing back to back games because of it. Also, because I’m terrible at the game.

I only found success after five attempts at the first season of the game. Since then, I’ve crawled my way past three more seasons. The game is tough and sometimes I’m just barely clearing the standard difficulty. Each time I fail a season, I take a look at where I went wrong. Most of the time, it’s a mix of overfishing or not using the Upgrades that were available to me.

There’s an economy to Conservas that works really well. It’s a tight game that rarely leaves you confident that you’ll succeed until the last final round of a season. This is why coming back to the game and enjoying its twenty minute playtime is so enjoyable.

Final Thoughts

Conservas is a perfect storm of theme, art, and gameplay that has me excited every time I sit down with the game. I could never see myself playing solo games on a regular basis, but Conservas has shown me how enjoyable they can be. My time with A Gentle Rain, another amazing solo game, was all about relaxing and finding a moment of peace. Conservas is all about pressing my luck, practicing moderation, and finding a delicate balance to succeed.

If you had told me a couple months ago that a solo board game would be one of my biggest surprises of the year, I would have laughed in your face. But here I am. Sitting alone at my kitchen table, smelling like an old sea captain, playing a board game by myself, and loving every minute of it.

Conservas is published by 25th Century Games in the US and Salt & Pepper Games in Europe. You can find Conservas at your local game store, on the 25th Century webstore or online through Amazon today.

This game was provided to us by the publisher for review. Read more about our review policies at One Board Family.

Highs
- Twelve seasons with multiple difficulties
- Excellent art and components
- Great balance in conserving and catching sea life
Lows
- Some might be turned off by the repetitive gameplay
- Kind of wish there was a multiplayer version
Complexity

Time Commitment

Replayability
Source link
25/04/2025
Thunder Road: Vendetta – Carnival of Chaos Review
Turbo Tina has invited your crew into the Carnival of Chaos! Players will smash, slam, and shoot their way to victory by collecting “scrap” that Turbo Tina awards each round. Carnival of Chaos is the fifth expansion for Thunder Road: Vendetta and can be played with the base game or the Maximum Chrome Edition.

Welcome to the Carnival

We’ve played a lot of Thunder Road: Vendetta in 2023 and 2024. This new expansion is essentially an arena battle that introduces new weapons and a reward system as you collect “scrap”. There are three roads that lead into the arena where the combat takes place. At the end of each round, a new Turbo Tina card is revealed.

This card will trigger Killer Pillars which will destroy any car that is parked on top of these tiles. It also adds a new immovable object that players have to avoid. Tina will award scrap to any vehicles that are on spotlight locations, and even give a new decree for the next round.

Just like in the base game, players will shoot and slam one another, with dice dictating the outcome of the combat. For players who already know Thunder Road: Vendetta, there’s not a ton of new concepts here. Movement in the arena spaces is slightly different and takes a minute to get used to. I’ve taught this game to multiple TRV veterans and the movement trips people up the first couple turns. Sprinkled around the board are Party Favor tiles and Super-Weapon tokens. These are going to give you the boost you need to win.

The selection of Super-Weapons are fantastic. These cards attach to the vehicle that picked it up, giving them a new way to eliminate their opponent. A player with a Super-Weapon attached is a force to be reckoned with. Players who can slam opponents into Killer Pillars and maneuver gracefully around the arena are going to have fun with this expansion.

Ready for Combat

Restoration Games carried through the dystopian, Mad Max feel of Thunder Road into every area of the game. The art style and board layout is excellent and even the packaging sticks with the grindhouse visuals of the base game. You can tell that this expansion is essentially Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome without the IP license.

Since players cannot leave the arena once they enter, the game keeps players in close quarters. It forces players to interact and unlike the base game, players cannot just try to outrun their opponents.

Slamming opponents at just the right time can launch an opponents vehicle out of the arena, into a Killer Pillar, or into position to get clobbered by the other players. While in the arena, rolling high numbers on the dice become less of a necessity. You’ll rely more on positioning and weapons each round.

Carnival of Chaos also adds a fifth player color to the mix. The new team comes with three purple cars, dice, chopper, and purple dashboards. This allows you to play with up to five players across all different game modes with a standard team of 3 vehicles.

The Queen of Chaos

Carnival of Chaos has a specific number of rounds. Each of the six Turbo Tina cards come out at the end of the round. The game ends when there are no more Turbo Tina cards to flip over in the deck OR when a single player has been eliminated from play. Having the Turbo Tina deck dictate the length of the game works really well. While six rounds is a great game length, it’s the start of the game that comes off a little dry.

In the first round of the game, players have to travel up the three roadways that lead into the arena. This is made up of the regular road pieces that come with the base game. In my head, I see these cars rumbling toward this arena, ready for combat. In reality, it might take you two full turns to get to the center. Bad die rolls could even put you in the role of “spectator” for a couple rounds.

It’s not uncommon for a player to have only two cars in the arena even into the start of the third round. That’s half-way through the game. In my first game, I felt like it had a pretty boring start. I felt validated when everyone else at the table mentioned it during clean up of the game.

For a game mode that is called Carnival of Chaos, this is a bit of a let down. Once players have there cars in the arena, the gameplay is smooth and fun. But it honestly doesn’t feel any crazier than the base game. I think being confined to the arena is really what sets this game apart from the base game.

While I rarely “house rule” games, we did make a slight change to the start of the game. When playing at the house, only start flipping Turbo Tina cards after at least two players have entered the arena. This is usually in the second round. This helps players to feel like they get a full six rounds of combat with their opponents.

We Don’t Need Another Hero

Carnival of Chaos adds a lot of cool items to one of my absolute favorite games. When it comes to reviewing expansions, the question I usually ask myself is “Does this make the original game better?”

This is a tough one, and it depends on what you’re looking for in the game. I honestly believe that everything that comes in the Maximum Chrome edition will keep me busy for years. Carnival of Chaos offers a slightly different play mode that is interesting, but not incredibly memorable. If you’ve played through all the content in the Maximum Chrome box (or the separate expansions), you may be looking for a new mode of play. Carnival of Chaos is probably what you’re looking for.

I love the system and world that Restoration Games has created with Thunder Road: Vendetta. At this point, this is easily one of my favorite games of all time. Carnival of Chaos is a nice addition to the game, but not a necessity in my opinion.

Thunder Road: Vendetta – Carnival of Chaos is available at your local game store, on the Restoration Games webstore or online through Amazon today.

This game was provided to us by the publisher for review. Read more about our review policies at One Board Family.

Highs
- Great addition of Super-Weapons and party favors
- The arena forces up-close combat with players
- Focus on collecting scrap add a new goal to the gameplay
- Adds a fifth purple team to the mix
Lows
- Less chaos than the name would imply
- Beginning of the game is very sluggish
Complexity

Time Commitment

Replayability
Source link
19/04/2025