Review – Page 2 – Let's Game More

First Impressions: Disney Lorcana

September 11, 2023 Luiz Gustavo Mendes

On Mondays I usually do my quick reviews, but today I want to talk about a TCG, so it’s a totally different beast. Lorcana is Disney’s entrance on the TCG market with a game thwt is a big deal, allied with Ravensburger. As a veteran of TCGs myself, I had to check it out.

Gameplay

The goal of the game is to be the first to 20 lore. To do that, first you go through the usual steps of ~~untapping your tapped~~ readying your exerted cards and drawing one from the deck. Then you can play a card that has a spiral in its cost as ink, the game’s currency, then proceed to play your cards.

There are basically 3 types. Actions, that do something and go away, items that have ongoing or activated abilities, and characters. Characters can be exerted to quest for lore, challenge (aka attack) other exerted characters, or activate abilities.

If everything sounds familiar, it’s because it is. Lorcana uses heavily the Magic The Gathering formula, following some clues from newer TCGs as well.

Components

I’m going to disregard the tokens and mats that come with the pre-made decks. Those are flimsy, yes, but nothing unexpected.

It’s a card game, so how are the cards. Well, for a TCG they feel good and durable, the layout is clean, modern and easy to understand, and the art is fantastic. It’s not stock images or movie stills, but custom artwork and it has Disney level quality.

Conclusion

First of all, is this a threat to the big three, Magic The Gathering, Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh? Not by a long shot. Even with the Titans at Disney and industry veterans at Ravensburger, this game is too close to Magic, but without decades of fanbase and growth.

But it’s a good game. Very good. My impression is just from opening the pre-made decks and doing some very light deck building. There is plenty here, and there is a lot of room for growth. Additionally, Disney has an incredibly vast source of movies, shows and whatever else to draw from.

Just talking about it as a game, the influences of Magic are there, but it’s all streamlined. Not oversimplified, mind you, it’s not a silly game. But there is no action on another players turn, no specific resource cards, and the win condition is achieved on your own instead of dealing to another. Very Disney take, by the way. But the elements are all there, just in a child friendly form.

And that’s where I think Lorcana has a niche. Pokemon is proof that a child friendly game can not only achieve success, but have big tournaments and attract all sorts of players. And while I doubt Lorcana will rival it, by the sheer strength of the Disney brand it can sell well. Any store that has a Disney section is a possible outlet.

For now, I will keep watching and playing casually. It works for me and the kids, as both gamers and Disney fans, even better than Pokemon did. Let’s see how the next year will roll out.

Review

Quick Review: Horrified American Monsters

September 5, 2023 Luiz Gustavo Mendes

1-5 Players

Designer: Michael Mulvhill

Artists: George Doutsiopoulos, Kory Lynn Hubbel, Victor Maristane, Tom Moore, Joshua Newton, Studio HIVE

Publisher: Ravensburger

About the Game

The team at Prospero Hall bring the terror from the successful and super fun Horrified out of the studios and into the American lore, something I could see Winchester Brothers dealing with.

Gameplay

Everything but the details of each monsters is the same as the original, but let’s recap. On your turn, you have a number of actions depending on your character to move, collect items, and use those items in creative ways to defeat the monsters. Each monster have their unique mechanisms. Then the monsters activate, do some effects and try to attack the heroes or the people in the village. You win if you take care of all monsters, and lose if the terror gets high enough or if the event deck runs out.

Solo Gameplay

Exactly the same as the regular game, except the terror begins at 3. However, unlike the first one, the balance seems a little off. Some monster seem not work as well solo, Bigfoot being the most proheminent example.

Components

I don’t know what happens with the Prospero Hall / Ravensburger partnership, but all of their games I’ve played share the combination of great component quality and decent price. This is, for the most part, true.

Everything was revamped for the theme. Instead of the cook oldies feel, now you have files and notes and stuff. It’s also quite a bit more colorful and bigger. That second part is a bit of an issue as there can be some warping in the long run. Each creature also have their unique tokens and overlays, but, unlike the first one, the overlays are not really overlays, but little placards.

The bad part is the rules, though. The increase in the complexity of the monsters was not followed by a more thorough description. There are points that are quite vague and require you to take a decision or make a ruling. Also, there is one specific case that the game is actually broken, as there is a deduction where one combination has no answer.

Conclusion

I love the new lore, the new visuals and the new challenges. And, I can really hope they continue the line with new takes on the theme, which can be other folklores, other works of art, or so many more.

However, this feels unpolished. Although I did enjoy all my plays, I also feel like the original beats it in almost every aspect. I also feel like it’s a common issue when Prospero Hall takes on more complexity, so it might just be a need for someone to take a closer second view. With the third one coming up, fingers crossed they will have learned their lesson.

Score: 7/10

Review

Quick Review: Moon

August 28, 2023 Luiz Gustavo Mendes

1-5 Players

Designer: Haakon Hoel Gaarder

Artist: Haakon Hoel Gaarder

Publisher: Sinister Fish Games

About The Game

Third in a series of games designed and illustrated by Haakon Hoel Gaarder, Moon is maybe the simplest of all three, with very simple drafting and card play. But simple does not mean easy, as it’s a tight race game.

Gameplay

Each turn, you will draft and either build a card or discard it for resources, and also possibly use your lunar modules to access other people’s resources, or claim awards. Cards come in 4 types : resources production, flags, once per era abilities and end of game scoring. At the end of each era, each flag is scored for majority, as well as ongoing point earning opportunities.

One thing that I felt it differ from other drafting games is that the costs do not scale too much. So the crux of game is not if you will be able to score, but it’s how tight you can win so you can branch out and win on other areas as well.

Solo Gameplay

Instead of having a way for the AI to draft, it simply plays a card from the top, do some action, and score some points. Meanwhile, you draft once from each of 4 hands. Then the AI takes one away, and you draft a second time from the remaining 3. It’s simple, elegant, and feels like a natural player. On my first games, the scores were usually 10-15 points apart, in a game that scores 100+.

Conclusion

I was surprised on how elegant this how package is. The components, as usual, are top notch. Great art, great tokens, good storage. But Moon takes elements from Villagers with the drafting, and Streets with the color dispute, and ties it into a game that is easy to learn hard to master. Moon presents you with lots of options, and it’s very rare to be stuck. But the almost Feldian way that everything can contribute to scores means that you have to juggle a lot. Also, I really enjoy the tight dispute that forces you to predict your opponents moves so you are not too far ahead, just a bit. Because, here, winning by a little in 2 areas is worth way more than winning by a lot in one.

Score: 9/10

Review

Quick Review: River Wild

August 21, 2023 Luiz Gustavo Mendes

1 player
Designer: Steve Aramini
Artist: Milan Zivkovic
Publisher: Button Shy Games

About The Game

Steven Aramini has made a name for himself with the ‘Opolis trilogy for Button Shy games, and now he is presenting another tile laying game, this time about a river with inhabited by mystical creatures. Is it unique enough to stand out?

Gameplay

The basis will sound very familiar. You start with a card, which is the top of the river, and you have a hand of 3 cards to chose and place. I promise I will stop making ‘Opolis references, because the similarities end there. Each card has rivers, lands and mountains, and you need to match them (mountains can be matched to and by either). Each card can be placed directly below or half shifted from the card above, and the goal is to created completely enclosed islands along the way.

On each land section, there will be either one of 4 animals, or one scoring condition. When you created an enclosed island, called a protected land, you score that at the end of the game. The lowest amount for the biggest protected land, and the higher for all others.

Components

As usual, Button Shy has great card quality and the snazzy little wallet it comes in. Iconography is pretty clear, and the rules, that are sometimes an issue with the company, are clear enough and I think it leaves little room for questions this time around.

The artwork is something else though. While the theme is not super unique, the decision to go with striking funky palette was absolutely a win here. Milan Zivkovic was able to transform a fairly mundane setting into this cool little world that you look and know it’s River Wild.

Conclusion

It’s hard to review River Wild in isolation, as it carries a lot of DNA from other games from the same publisher and it’s against a line of very good solo games. But, on its own, it’s a super fun and light game. It is a completely tactical one, as you need to be quick to evaluate the opportunities you will be able to actually accomplish. Placement is not trivial, as the positioning and be awkward at times, forcing you into less than optimal plays.

But, inserting it into the line, it does have some issues with replayability. Yes, there is and there will be expansions for it to increase longevity. But, on its own, even though each game will be unique, the overall arc is mostly the same. Luckily, I think this is pretty much the only criticism of the game. It’s cool, beautiful, quick and fun.

Score: 7.5 / 10