Agra

On only my second game of Agra—and the first for the rest of the group—I felt I was playing something genuinely special. It is the only game from 2017 to which I have given a straight 10, and I do not say that lightly: for me, it has now taken The Gallerist’s place as my favourite heavy euro.

Agra clearly sits on the heavy-euro side of the spectrum, where a game asks for focus and is not approached as a casual, carefree affair. Even so, the experience did not feel off-putting: on my second encounter with it, and with new players at the table, its flow immediately showed just how full-bodied it is.

Interaction comes chiefly from the shared table and the choices players are asked to make within that heavy-euro structure, rather than from any urge to ruin one another’s game. The original impression does not dwell on a detailed breakdown of rounds or individual actions, but it leaves the sense of a design with enough depth to fully justify the weight and sustained attention it demands.

Keller had already made charming games in La Granja and Solarius Mission, but I think he has outdone himself here. Do not overthink it: if you find it, grab it—though it is not especially easy to find in Greece, since the big stores do not stock Quined. And after that sort of intensity, yes, the thought of a relaxed euro for Farmville nostalgists sounds like exactly the right decompression.