Watch your Back: Week July 24 to 30
Man, it's the end of July and games keep pouring out like crazy. I've got seven jotted down in my calendar, let's take a look.
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Dodos Riding Dinos: Dodo Dash is a standalone game in the Dodos Riding Dinos series. This is a 1-6 player dexterity racing game in which you are trying to outrun your fellow riders by throwing obstacles at them (throwing bananas, flicking eggs, and dropping meteor tokens).
Dodo Dash adds projectiles to the game as an extra way of messing with your opponents. In the solo mode, you race against the Challengers AI who follow their own set of rules. It is launching on Kickstarter on July 26.
Personal opinion: I don't see how this is fun for a solo player, it clearly needs more players to work well, at least in my eyes.
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Then we have Birdie, a 1-5 player game in which birds are playing golf. You create a golf course with different terrain tiles, and try to overcome obstacles and push the ball further by playing cards from your hand. Solo mode is beat-your-own-score. It is launching on Kickstarter today, July 24.
Personal opinion: Another game that seems better-suited to multiple players.
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Moving on to a wargame: World at War 85: Blood and Fury. This 1-2 player game is set in an alternative 1985 with the Soviet army preparing to invade West Germany. It uses a chit-pull system and dice rolls for both attacking and defending units plus a solo mode with special rules for playing either side. It is launching on Gamefound on July 25. You may check the preview page.
Personal opinion: Wargames are so expensive... I understand the problems of the limited release but still. I'm currently not in a wargaming mood but this one may be good.
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Return to Dark Tower returns with the Covenant expansion which brings more content (heroes, treasures, corruptions) to the base game. Return to Dark Tower is a 1-4 player cooperative/competitive adventure game which features a 3-D app-driven tower in the middle of the board, and it's the contemporary version of a children's game from the '80s. Backers will get the chance to pledge for the base game and all previous expansions and accessories, and the campaign launches on July 26, on Backerkit.
Personal opinion: Even though I don't like app-based games, I would eagerly play Return to the Dark Tower. The Tower just looks so cool. I won't be buying it though.
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Let's continue with Junk Drawer: a 1-4 player polyomino game in which you have to fix the mess in your drawer by sorting out and arranging all the items your store in there. Goal cards will dictate what you are trying to achieve in each session, and you'll be placing polyominoes in each compartment of your drawer in order to score the most points. Solo rules haven't been revealed yet. It is launching on Kickstarter on July 26.
Personal opinion: Fun theme but otherwise nothing special.
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Davy Jones' Locker: The Kraken Wakes is a 1-4 player cooperative pirate game in which captains team up against the Kraken. The game is divided in two acts: in the first act, you will be sailing around ports with your ship, upgrading it, and fighting rivals. In the second act, you will be facing the Kraken within a whirlpool. It is launching on Kickstarter on July 26.
Personal opinion: I'll take a look at this since it's a co-op, I'm curious to find out more.
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And, finally, we reach the last game for today: the Fierce Powers expansion for Euthia: Torment of Resurrection. You may remember that the campaign had launched recently and was cancelled soon after because the company was in financial trouble. Now Steamforged have come to the rescue, and are relaunching both the expansion and the base game. It will be a Kickstarter exclusive, and it will launch on July 26.
Personal opinion: If I had more spare time, I would be interested in Euthia. It looks like a game to be immersed in for days. Sadly, I don't have this luxury anymore, so I'll pass.
I'm willing to bet that the "Returning backers" pledge for Euthia will end up costing more than $200 once shipping and VAT are accounted for (and closer to $250 than $200).
I'm starting to accommodate myself with the perspective that I am not comfortable with the idea of paying an expansion almost twice what I paid for the core game.
And from another point of view, if I discover, when I finally get to play the game, that it really is that good, then I guess I will thoroughly enjoy replaying some scenarios over and over and be happy with that. If it's not that good... why seeking more contents for it?
Let's not forget that Bloodstones will be launching as well tomorrow (Tuesday 26) on Gamefound.
This would be an obvious pledge for me if I had infinite space and money.
Euthia is an instaback for me. I was all in for the first campaign so I'll just need the new stuff! Look at me saving money, sort of!!!!
Junk Drawer has a fun theme. Published by Winsmith Games. Nice name. 😄 World at War 85 has a 124-page Rulebook, which is too formidable for me. 😯 Still no Birdie on Kickstarter, but I'll keep checking, as I wanna see what it looks like, etc.
I'm not gonna lie, the graphic design for Davy Jones' Locker is simply amazing to my eyes. But I'm not a fan of pirate games. Though you gotta give them credit for making a co-op pirate game. Most of them are comp or semi-comp.
Otherwise nothing really grabbed my eye. With graphic design or the gameplay pitch. Since both have to allign for me to look more into game (and yes, I know it's very restrictive, that's by design... it's a feature, not a bug).