Reviews

Unstoppable is a demanding co-op/solo boss fighter with card crafting that, for me, even surpasses the beloved Aeon's End. It asks for time, reading, and careful planning, but gives plenty back in return.

Caylus remains an honest, minimalist old-school euro, with tightly connected mechanisms and no unnecessary decoration. It did not win me over completely, but I can absolutely see why it has earned so many accolades.

Aquatica is an honest, minimalist engine builder with a fresh idea for exploring territories and no unnecessary decoration.

Daitoshi is a maximalist mid-to-heavy euro with many systems, yet its connections are impressively clean. Anyone already fluent in this language will find a game that deserves serious consideration for their collection.

Warhammer 40,000’s tenth edition leaves the old world and much of its fluff further behind, but it has a sharply tactical core that immediately made me want a rematch. My first game with Ynnari was an introductory slap, but not one strong enough to send me away.

Resafa is a light, clever, well-balanced euro that fits in plenty without becoming heavy. It is one of the most enjoyable games I played this year, and I recommend it without hesitation.

Stephens arrived completely off my radar and turned out to be a pleasantly odd surprise. Its central system is spicy and inventive, though it shares Yinzi’s tendency not to come fully together by the end.

Deep Shelf initially won me over as a heavy, purely economic 3X with no combat, but a correct second play exposed balance issues that noticeably hurt the experience. Approach it selectively, especially if your group is experienced with economic games.

18Rhl is an enjoyable, reasonably paced 18XX with two distinct sides, but the RHL map we tried did not feel as fresh as I wanted. It is good at the table, just not among the best examples of its particular mould.

Ezra and Nehemiah is another rich, well-crafted Phillips design, strongly related to Architects and Viscounts of the Western Kingdom without simply repeating them. It does have one quirk that changes noticeably depending on the group.

The Breach is a lavish cyberpunk spectacle from Ludus Magnus: a simple mechanical core, a mountain of content, and miniatures that look the part straight out of the box. It is not for a quick two-game acquaintance, but for groups willing to invest in one big box.

Worms arrives in an age of polite euros to remind us that a board game can be bazookas, super sheep, and a very personal grudge. The adaptation loses some of the videogame’s immediacy, but retains its explosive core flavour.

Uwe Rosenberg returns to his familiar territory of resource wheels, forests, animals, and earnest eurogame industry, delivering a game I liked quite a lot without being bowled over. If your collection is already full of similar designs from him, though, it may not feel essential.

Beyond the Horizon borrows the foundations of the beloved Beyond the Sun almost bare, then loads them with technologies and leaders that seem far easier to push out of balance. It is not bad at the table; next to its predecessor, though, it feels like a rushed copy that forgot why the original worked.

Minos: Dawn of the Bronze Age found me cautious, but it ultimately became a very pleasant surprise. It is a solid medium-weight euro with an ancient Cretan flavour and enough freshness to make me want to return to it.

Donning the Purple has an appealing theme and a pleasantly old-fashioned feel, but the base game felt far too sparse to me. Without the expansion, Rome seems to fall a little more easily than it should.

Art Society is a quick, clever game of auctions and tile placement that makes its art theme immediately approachable. It is one of the year’s very good games, especially if you want non-gamers at the table too.

Intarsia is a beautifully produced mosaic game with a fair, lightly “tweaked” hand-management system. It gave me some pleasant brain-burn, but not enough to make me seek it out again.

Civolution is a heavy, tight civilization simulation that had me managing panic and disappointment—and yet I immediately wanted to play it again. With one small scoring reservation, it can comfortably claim a place among the games of the year.

Mistwind is the sort of independent production we probably would never have seen without crowdfunding—and one that I fear may be too expensive for a retail reprint. Beneath its airships and cargo deliveries sits a tight, demanding game that shines especially with five players.

Marine Worlds, together with Map Pack 2, gave me a welcome excuse to return to Ark Nova’s zoos. It remains the familiar, enjoyable experience, with scoring still being the part that leaves me cold.

SETI initially won me over as a rich, satisfying euro with excellent mechanisms and many routes to victory. The more we replayed it, though, the more its abundance revealed snowballing, huge score gaps, and—under the wrong conditions—a distinctly unpleasant experience for anyone left behind.

Express Route has a cute cooperative idea built around deliveries and objectives, but repetition and the randomness of the event deck leave it without enough life. After the first play, I had no urge to set it up again.

Aeon's End: The New Age retains what I liked about the original: a boss fight convincingly delivered through deckbuilding. With a campaign that gradually reveals its material, it is a very solid addition for calm, occasional trips to the table.