V is for Villanous (Disney)

By Ravensburger

I didn't think I was going to like this one, because I'm not a huge fan of Disney, but it's actually pretty fun and I'm sure the kiddos will enjoy it when they're old enough to read... Not sure yet if we'll buy any of the expansions, but I am an obsessive collector, so we shall see...

Players: 2-6

Time: 45-60 minutes

Ages: 10+

Theme: Disney Villains

Mechanics: Hand Management, Variable Powers, Competition

 

To win Villainous, you (a Disney Villain) must complete a unique-to-you objective before any of the other villains complete their unique-to-them objectives. Since you're all aiming for a different end-goal that is various degrees of difficult depending on how well you shuffled your cards, a question of balance arises. Even so, I'm not really complaining. We played a couple of rounds (once with my dad and once with Dustin's sister) as different characters and we all got close to winning, but in both games, one person got much closer much faster (spoiler alert: it wasn't Dustin or me in either play). At this point in both games, we tried less hard to win ourselves and harder to cancel our opponent's impending win. This strategy didn't work, by the way. It just made us feel like we were playing Munchkin when someone is level 9.

 

 

 

So anyway, I was actually impressed with the simple, but nice components. The game was very thematic and had me reminiscing about the good old days when I didn't have to work, pay taxes, cook meals, etc... *cough* The villain choices in the base game are nice: 

• The Red Queen
• Maleficent
• Ursula
• Prince John
• Captain Hook
• Jafar 

Expansion Villains include (3/exp):

• Evil Queen
• Pete
• Dr. Facilier
• Ratigan
• Yzma
• Cruella DeVil
• Hades
• Mother Gothel
• Scar

We played 2 games. My dad as Captain Hook won the first game and Dustin's sister as Ursula won the second game.

Overall, we give it a 7ish/10. We thought it was fun.

U is for Unlock!: Escape Adventures - The Island of Doctor Goorse

By Days of Wonder

Since we played an Exit Game for "E," we decided to play an Unlock game for "U" and compare them.

Players: 2-6

Time: 60 minutes

Ages: 10+

Theme: Escape "Room"

Mechanics:Co-Op, Puzzle

First, Unlock: the Island of Doctor Gorse: 

This one was a bit of a bummer at the start. It's the first one we've played where the group was "split up" (which means you can't really play solo). The reason I found it to be a bummer is that while we were "separated," I had literally only one puzzle to solve on my side of the island and Dustin had several on his side. So he was over on the other side of the table, throwing cards around, writing on the notepad, while I sat there twiddling my thumbs (because my puzzle was solved and I had to wait for Dustin to solve all of his before I could do anything). I just kept starting at the cards, thinking I was missing something. Spoiler: I wasn't. The takeaway is that the beginning of this particular Unlock scenario was a bit unbalanced. Once we found each other on the island, I was allowed to look at his cards and start solving things again, but up until then I was frustrated and a tad bored.

 

We rate it a 6.5/10, which means we're usually willing to play... if we're in the mood.

Now let's compare the two brands:

1. REPLAYABILITY: Winner: Unlock

You don't cut, draw on, or mutilate the cards in any way, so you can replay these scenarios in a year or two when you've forgotten all the puzzles or you can loan to friends. (Also, when it asks you to destroy cards in games-- like Pandemic/Risk Legacy, I cry giant crocodile tears and then slip the cards underneath the box inserts). In Exit, you have to destroy the game to figure out some of the puzzles, so it goes straight into the trash bin (or recycling) when you're done with it.

2. TIME: Winner: Unlock

Unlock goes way quicker, so I'm not ready to stab my eyes out or bang my head repeatedly against the wall by the end... That being said, the puzzles in Exit are different and more challenging, which is why it takes longer. Unlock also times you (companion app) and you are punished for wrong solutions, which stresses me out, but may add an interesting element for others.

3. PUZZLES: Winner: Exit

The Exit games are admittedly a bit more challenging. They are even somewhat fun when they're not making me feel like a giant idiot. Some of them are pretty obscure, which I find to be frustrating, but when you solve one, you FEEL GOOD. The puzzles in Unlock are simpler and mostly involve pairing items and entering codes into the app.

4. HINT SYSTEM: Winner: Exit

The hints in Unlock are not useful and mostly just give you information you already have. Exit has three hints for each puzzle (first a nudge, then a solid hint, and then the solution).

 

FINAL WINNER: It's a tie? They are both worth playing. Each series has some hits and some misses. Personally, I prefer the quick gameplay and simplicity of Unlock, but recognize that the puzzles are more challenging and rewarding in Exit.

T is for Terror Below

By Renegade Game Studio

I saw this on Kickstarter and wanted it, but sadly missed it. So when I saw it at Phoenix Fire, I had to get it...

Players: 1-5
Time: 45-60 minutes
Ages: 10+
Theme: Worm Attack Survival
Mechanics: Action Points, Dice Rolling, Pick Up/Deliver

In Terror Below, you play Nevada locals hunting down government experiments that have gone loose in the desert. You score points for defeating worms or for collecting on bounties for specific worm kills or specific egg deliveries.

We played a couple of two-player games first and found the "2-player" variant to make things move a little faster. Too slow and a tad boring without... We decided this game would be better tested with more players, so when my friend was driving through Idaho on his way home from New York, we suggested it. I suppose it was slightly more interesting with a third player, but not by much. There isn't much depth to this game and it's actually over pretty quickly. And I promise that my opinion is unaffected by the fact that I lost 3 times in a row.

Game 1: Dustin wins 23-10

Game 2: Dustin wins 24-16

Game 3: Dustin wins 22-14-5 

But seriously, our problems are these:

1. I did not like how the Vehicle cards were resolved in a non-linear fashion. First you resolve the distraction, which is on the BOTTOM of the card. Then you perform the actions as shown at the TOP of the card. Finally, you resolve the special ability, which is listed in the MIDDLE of the card. I'm sorry, I don't care how aesthetically pleasing the card is, can we please have some semblance of order? My OCD hates these cards.

2. When playing with 2-players and NOT using the variant, you can run into a dull period where there is nothing to do. There aren't any more eggs on the board for collecting bounties and you're just dawdling around, trying to get more worms to attack & drop eggs.

3. There were "useless" locations. In 3 games, we only had one death, so the hospital didn't help anyone. We never really needed any hidden bounties because no one really went for the same bounties in all three games... So the government facility was not frequented. 

4. There's not really much need for strategy. The game is over so quickly, any strategy you thought up doesn't really get carried out. For example, Dustin started with the shopkeep as his main character in one game, which has no special ability, but provides a rifle at the start of the game. His plan was to then get him killed off so he could promote someone with a better skill to be the lead. This didn't ever come to fruition.

5. Now I'm just being nitpicky, but when a game has cool giant worm miniatures, I'd like to use them, not just stand them up around the board as decoration. Here we put one on the board, just for fun:

 

So overall, we give it a 6/10-- it's okay and we'll play it if the mood strikes. Just not going to be a go-to game for us.