Watch your Back: Week June 25 to July 1
Having just done my voting duty at the national elections, I'm here for my crowdfunding coverage duties. So let's see the projects that the month ends with.
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The 1-8 player cooperative adventure game behemoth that is Arena: The Contest - Tanares Adventures is coming back to Kickstarter with an Ultimate Edition.
This means it includes everything released for the game so far, and it promises to make it easier for new players to get into the campaign system. Backers have the option of pledging for the standee version, if they don't want minis. It is launching on Kickstarter on June 27, and you can check the preview here.
Personal opinion: This is too much stuff for me, but I believe owners of the game are quite pleased with it.
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On the same day, June 27, on Gamefound, we have Classic Rally. I had written about it in a previous post, so I'll repeat the same description. This is a 1-4 player hand management racing game in which you are taking part in a rally.
You will be controlling two cars: one competition car and one assistance car, and playing fuel cards to move them. Weather and malfunctions will affect your progress, as will do you car features and accessories. Solo rules haven't been revealed yet.
Personal opinion: Even though I never watch car rallies, I like the idea of moving forward while dealing with various problems. I'll check it out to see how it works in solo.
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Another project launching on Gamefound on June 27 is Phantom Division: this is a 1-4 player cooperative dexterity game in which you will be flicking your hero tokens in a sci-fi setting. The game comes with neoprene mats to ensure smooth flicking.
Heroes are sent on missions in which they have to e.g. de-activate a bomb, or rescue hostages. And if you absolutely loathe flicking, the designers are providing an alternative combat mechanism that has you rolling good old dice.
Personal opinion: I'm not sure how I feel about the dexterity element. I would definitely play it as a co-op, I'm just a bit hesitant about flicking on my own. I wouldn't resort to dice though, that would be almost sacrilege.
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Planet Unknown, the 1-6 player polyomino puzzle game in which you have to fill in planets with tiles so that you complete scoring goals is coming back with the Supermoon expansion, and a reprint of the Deluxe edition.
As a reminder, the Deluxe edition comes with extra planets and corporations. There is no information regarding the content of the expansion yet. It is launching on Gamefound on June 27.
Personal opinion: I've had the pleasure of playing Planet Unknown but eventually returned it to the sender. Even though it is enjoyable and extremely replayable, I found the solo mode impossible to win, and that soured me on the experience.
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And lastly, on July 1 on Kickstarter, we have Fighting Fantasy Adventures: Campaign One. This is a 1-4 player cooperative dungeon crawler based on the old-school Fighting Fantasy book series. Martin Wallace has redesigned the games in card game format. When you play solo, you have to control all four characters.
Over the course of the game, you will reveal the dungeon by laying it down card by card. Combat is dice-driven, and you will have to decide the order in which your heroes enter a room.
Personal opinion: Colour me intrigued. This is a lightweight game, so the only question is how fun it is. I'll check it out when it launches.
Ah, elections. You have my sympathy.
Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band - No Matter Who You Vote For, The Government Always Gets In
Arena: The Contest indeed gets good reviews. Looking at what you get, looks like organising the components is a game on itself. Given the pain my friend has at setting up and storing Frosthaven, I'll happily pass.
I tried solo dexterity with SEAL Team Flix but it's not my thing. I would also at least have another player.
Martin Wallace is more miss than hit for me, so I'll check the reviews after it comes out.
I love dexterity, but there are not many games that would be soloable or enjoyable solo (many rely on laughs around the table for the dexterity part). I had Phantom Division in my crosshairs for a very very very long time. Years at this point. But it came... a bit late. At this point it's too big and too sprawling for me to go for it. Alas, too big for my current tastes.
Planet Unknown has many things that I should love. But it's one that I never really looked much into, I don't even remember why. So time to look again (or start writing down reasons why I ignore certain games).
I'm very likely to back Fighting Fantasy, but I am afraid it won't be worth it because of VAT and shipping. My hope is that, as they did with Bloodstones, they will partner with Nuts Publishing to release a French localization that will be affordable. In that case I'll pre-order that instead of backing the game (and maybe I'll pre-order Bloodstones while I am at it...).
Same with Planet Unknown. First I wanted to buy the game and nearly did when the Deluxe popped up at a reasonable price on the second-hand market. Then I decided to wait for the upcoming French retail release, acceptant for missing out on the Deluxe contents (I never play the whole of these games…