Barcelona

Barcelona gave me exactly what a good, fresh point-salad game promises: plenty of choices, satisfying gameplay, and enough food for thought without becoming exhausting from the very first play. It reminded me of Merv, not because it is the same game, but because it initially lets you believe you have discovered the obvious one-way route. Then it gives you a knowing look.

In practice, the game revolves around choices that seem to point toward one safe, obvious strategy. The flow of the rounds forces you to weigh what you execute and when, because that initial “one-way street” did not turn out to be the route to high scores or victory.

The interaction did not feel like blunt take-that to me, but rather like pressure created by the available choices and by carrying out the rounds. In the second session we explored it more deeply, with a few… strikes during round execution, and it became even clearer that there are different tactics worth trying.

We had a great time, and everyone wanted to return to the table with different approaches. It is not a game for bingeing on, nor would I recommend it to someone who wants to play on autopilot. For fans of this genre, though, I consider it one of the year's must-haves — as if we are not going to buy them all anyway, hahaha.

Updated session

The repeat play confirmed the original impression rather than overturning it: Barcelona remains just enough, enjoyable and brainy enough for players who like their minds lightly fried. We pushed it further this time, but Passeig de Gracia arrived a few days later and has not reached the table yet, so I cannot say whether it improves the game.