Watch your Back: Week November 12 to 18
No less than 8 games have been announced for next week, so I won't waste any time with pleasantries. Let's dive in!
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Firesiege: A Feralis Story is a 1-5 player tower defense game in which heroes try to fend off enemies from breaching the gates to their city.
To win, you must fulfill goal cards but there's a catch: when you play a card, you only see one side of it. The back is visible to your team mates but communication is limited. How this rule applies to solo remains to be seen. It is launching on Gamefound on November 14.
Personal opinion: Since the game is advertised as limited communication co-op, I don't see why it supports 1 player, but okay.
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Then we have The Aetherial War Card Game: Chaos and Consequences Core Set. This is a 1-3 player card-and-dice game in which you play as the Aetherials: elite heroes who fight against an evil space empire and a crime syndicate.
To play your action cards, you must spend Willpower, and to attack, you roll custom dice. If you complete the core campaign, you can continue with the unlock pack which gives you new content. It is launching on Gamefound on November 14.
Personal opinion: This looks like a simple, fun game but I don't see me going the extra mile to back it. It has been designed mostly as a solo game though, so that's a big plus.
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Moving on to 1793: Patriots & Traitors: a 1-5 player area control game which takes place in the years following the French Revolution.
You play as either a revolutionary, a moderate, or a conservative, each with their own agenda. The game is card-driven and has cooperative elements as well, since the players must make sure the country is not invaded by Austria or Prussia. It is launching on Gamefound on November 14.
Personal opinion: This may appeal to COIN game fans. I don't really enjoy playing multiple sides although the theme is certainly interesting.
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Back to silliness with DCeased: A Zombicide Game. Yet another installment in the popular Zombicide universe, this time with Superheroes. The ones who haven't turned into zombies fight against the heroes who have and other zombie hordes.
It is a 1-6 player cooperative game, and your goal is to fulfill objectives, rescue citizens, and save humanity from the anti-life virus. It is launching on Kickstarter on November 14.
Personal opinion: Eh, no.
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Gates of Niflheim is a 1-2 player cooperative adventure game in which the excavation of a Viking burial site for the construction of a monastery brings to the surface undead threats.
The game is in a similar vein to previous zombie-themed games (e.g. Escape from Stalingrad Z) by the same company. Scenarios are played on a spiral-bound book, and they are non-linear, so you can choose where to go next. It is launching on Gamefound on November 14.
Personal opinion: I know that map tiles can be fiddly to set up but I really don't like book boards. For me, it is a discount to the theme.
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For more Viking flair, there is also Sea Beasts: another 1-2 player cooperative adventure in which a Viking warrior is tasked with protecting precious cargo from dangerous sea creatures.
Not much is known about the game except that it has roll 'n' write elements and fights. It is launching on Gamefound on November 14.
Personal opinion: I like the sea-crawling theme but... roll 'n' write? Ugh!
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Wish is a 1-4 player competitive action selection game in which players are djinns trying to fulfill the most wishes.
Gameplay is asymmetrical and revolves around the completion of wish cards, construction of monuments and fulfillment of a djinn's destiny. There is no information about the solo mode yet. It is launching on Kickstarter on November 14.
Personal opinion: The game is vibrant and colourful thanks to Mihajlo Dimitrievski's illustration. Since there is no info on solo, can't say anything more.
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And last, we have Singularity.exe: a 1-4 player competitive card game which can be played solo/co-op with the use of an app. It is basically a card dueling game that claims to have no random elements. It is launching on Gamefound on November 14.
Personal opinion: Clearly not made for solo.
The 1793 game has been postponed by two weeks.
I'll be backing Gates of Niflheim. I have a very good feeling about it! I like the savage aesthetic, the silly theme, the mechanics look good, the game seems lean on components with streamlined rules...
I think the new Bullet expansions will also launch on Tuesday 13 and I will obviously back them because having all the former expansions still in shrink is the best incentive I could have.
Sea Beasts interests me quite a lot and I will at least check it very seriously.
Aetherial War is a game I would gladly try if I find it one day for cheap on the second-hand market or during a sale. It may be fun, but nothing draws me in.
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