Reviews

Phoenix New Horizon is a somewhat kinky worker-placement euro with plenty of engine building and slightly more interaction than the genre usually offers. It is not bad at all, but its turn-order mechanism left me annoyed, especially at four players.

A fair, zero-luck game for two that brings the tension of a classic resource-rush RTS to the table. Its rules are simple, but it is far more cunning than it first appears.

Horizon Forbidden West: Seeds of Rebellion is a polished, substantial co-op campaign game that captures the videogame’s combat well. Its weak, filler-heavy narrative, however, may keep it from reaching the finish line despite the strong gameplay.

The Abalone I remembered from the 1990s came back off the shelf and, to my pleasant surprise, immediately found a new opponent at home. It remains an honest blast from the past, even if it feels somewhat dated once nostalgia is removed from the equation.

Toy Battle is a smart, accessible two-player game that got us properly hooked. Cheap, hugely fun, and easy enough for children to teach successfully to their friends.

An impressive asymmetric conflict game that sat on the shelf for a long time, but ultimately justified the moment it finally reached the table. It keeps its depth without becoming exhausting, and the Spacing Guild makes it even better.

The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible is a satisfying light euro that seems to smooth out Rurik’s clumsiness without chasing originality. We had a good time and would play it again, even if it did not become the game we would call for first at the end of the night.

World Order arrived as a lavish, carefully produced deluxe package and, after two plays, it left me thinking it is a very clever game of superpowers. For me, it is also clearly stronger than the already good Hegemony.

Arcs got a second chance with the advanced rules, asymmetric alien factions, and powers—and, to my surprise, it was genuinely better this time. It still did not solve my central complaint: the table carries the burden of balance, not the game itself.

A gateway wargame that became the occasion for a very good family return to the Ardennes, with Sabaton in the background and plenty of appetite for a rematch. I do not ask much more than that.

Cthulhu: Dark Providence hooked me more as an excuse to gather the group around the table again than because we needed another tentacle game. It ultimately proved to be a very good choice.

The Clone Wars theme was exactly the reason to bring this deck-builder to the table, especially as a less tiring alternative to the now more demanding Star Wars: Unlimited. It is cute and approachable, but for me it did not quite justify the huge enthusiasm surrounding it.

Lairs is Battleship with dungeons, monsters, and loot: a clever game with an asymmetric idea and a wonderfully light mood. The base box works nicely for younger players, while any expansion opens it up for older ones too.

Revenant finally reached my table after an almost astronomical alignment of free time and patience for the rulebook. I had a very good time, but its excesses are impossible to hide.

Unmatched: Teen Spirit confirmed, in the simplest possible way, why the series has such a loyal following: its duels are brisk, satisfying, and ideal for sharing around the table.

West Story: A Town Building Game is a tight tableau builder with an intriguing dice mechanism, but its scoring and pacing did not fully win me over. I would play it again, though it ultimately felt like a merely average experience.

Bloody Business is the expansion Scarface 1920 should have included from the start: it turns a lukewarm area-control game into an experience full of intrigue, conflict, and gunfire. It demands time and a group that can handle take-that, but for me it completely changed the game’s standing.

Ronin is a thematic, satisfying area-control game that delivers about an hour of play without piling on luck or unnecessary complexity. For me, it is at its best with four or more players.

Fromage and Formaggio are two editions of an ambitious game, with a modular cheese platter that makes their table presence truly distinctive. The ability to mix them together promises almost endless variety.

Feya's Swamp is an enjoyable euro racing/area-control game about animal tribes trying to dominate a magical swamp. It offers clever choices and several paths to victory, even if its asymmetry did not feel perfectly balanced to me.

Crisis: 1914 dresses up a simple, almost push-your-luck card game in serious diplomatic history and Belle Époque moustaches. It is not earth-shattering, but with an experienced group of 4–5 it can become delightfully nasty.

The Druids of Edora caught me off guard: rather than a bland variation on something familiar, I found a satisfying optimization puzzle with limited moves and several scoring routes. The first contact is busy, but once it settles on the table, it flows beautifully.

Unmatched Adventures: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cleverly turns the familiar formula into a demanding cooperative boss fight. Shredder is already beating us 3–1, and that is exactly the kind of defeat that makes me want another game.

Meltwater is a strange, fast two-player strategy game where nuclear winter closes in and survival matters more than conquest. Its rules confused me, but the central idea is interesting enough that I would still give it a shot at the table.