Watch your Back: Week January 30 to February 5 (Part 2)
... and here's the rest of the games that have been planned to launch this week (check out Part 1, in case you missed it).
***
Two games that we've written about before are making a comeback: Selsia, a 1-4 player sci-fi pick-up-and-deliver game was supposed to launch in November 2021 but the creators decided to postpone. Zerbique had posted a detailed preview.
And Last Resort, a 1-4 player game about building a space hotel, is relaunching after a failed first attempt. Again, please check Zerbique's preview post if you're interested. Both of these games are scheduled for February 1.
Personal opinion: I don't enjoy playing against bots, so neither of these is to my taste.
***
On February 1 we also have Chang'an: a 2-4 player hand management game about building the districts of the city of Chang'an. You will do this by drafting cards, managing resources and adding buildings to your player board. The creators said they will reveal the solo mode during the Kickstarter campaign.
Personal opinion: none. The artwork on the cards looks nice.
***
Now let's see what's launching on February 2.
Evolution: New World is a revamped version of Evolution: The Origin of Species from 2010. The basic premise is survival of the fittest. Each player receives a hand of 6 cards, and plays them in order to improve their animals' chance of staying alive. Area cards in the middle of the table provide animals with food and shelter. If you have a predator among your animals, you may attack other players' animals or your any of your own. If any animals stay hungry, they may die in the Extinction phase. The player with the most points at the end, wins.
The all-in pledge will come with a solo mode which will pit you against one of two alien animals with their own traits.
Personal opinion: The game looks beautiful (although not as beautiful as Evolution), and I would definitely buy it if I had a gaming partner but I'm not convinced it's worth it just for solo.
***
Patria Libre is a 1-4 player area control game about the Mexican war of independence. You play as a faction leader, either insurgent or royalist. You will have to train and move your troops, attack, collect taxes and build strongholds. Taking control of a region earns you victory points, money and popularity. The solo mode comes with a set of 20 AI cards. You may check the Kickstarter preview.
Personal opinion: I believe area control games are best played with other people, so it's a pass for me.
Yeah, Evolution is a cream of the crop contender for critters, but New World looks pretty nice, too, IMHO.
The one I'm excited about is obviously Evolution! I have long wanted to purchase the original game (and I mean the really original one, the one with a white box and minimalistic art), because the theme just resonates too strongly with my own interests. I also boycott Dominic Crapuchettes for stupid reasons as usual, so I'm glad the old system is getting an upgrade. As for the solo mode... it's the cherry on the cake. It even looks decent!!!
Absolutely zero interest for the other games launching though.