Revive

Revive was one of those games I had decided not to add to my hoard, though I can no longer remember exactly why. Fortunately, BLTG’s procurement department had taken care to correct my mistake, and an extra matchday brought it to the table. Bad news for my wallet, because after that play I will probably have to get a copy.

At its core, it is a smart, fresh engine builder that mixes exploration, a kind of worker placement—except that here you place buildings rather than workers—and plenty of cards. The game confidently follows the modern feelgood school: almost every action gives you something, every small choice slots into your machine, and gradually pushes you toward respectable points.

What is interesting is that the mechanisms do not merely sit next to one another. Exploration, building development, and the card system all feed the engine, so you are looking for ways to turn resources and abilities into more efficient subsequent moves. Interaction comes mainly from the shared board and from who can make better use of the available opportunities first, rather than from any urge to directly wreck another player’s plan.

Where the base game loses points for me is in the balance of the asymmetric factions and in the container system, which felt excessively yolo. When one player’s core power lets them turn one resource into a wildcard for everything, while another must trade two resources for the same result, it is hard to say they begin on equal footing. Yes, the counterargument is that another racial ability may be stronger, but that too depends on the initial card set.

Despite those issues, Revive remains very pleasant and genuinely juicy. From the sound of it, the expansion makes it twice as juicy—we have not reached that point yet, but the base experience alone was enough to put a purchase on my mind.