Blog Archives
Pirates. Dinosaurs. Still At It.
A week ago, I wrote something that might have come across as a bit mean. I know, I know. Sometimes I disappoint even myself. In the comments after my review of Richard Launius’ Defenders of the Realm: Battlefields, I voiced a theory that perhaps Mr. Launius is a bit of a prodigy when it comes to designing cooperative games — after all, he’s been involved in some pretty impressive projects, like Arkham Horror, the original Defenders of the Realm, Elder Sign, and even the Infernal Relics expansion for Sentinels of the Multiverse — but that he might not be quite as adept at crafting interesting competitive games.
Well, today we’re looking at his newest game, Pirates vs. Dinosaurs, and I’m going to be eating my words. Or at least some of them.
Fallen Kickstarter of Karez
Now and then, people ask me how we manage to review some of the, ah, less agreeable board games we cover here on Space-Biff! The answer is the Crap Patrol. These are our very own Dirty Dozen, except they battle bad board games in place of Nazis. Also, there are only three of them in addition to me, they’re relatively well-groomed, and they aren’t criminals pressed into service in exchange for pardons. We don’t have an analogue for A.J. Maggot either. Thankfully. Alright, really the only point of comparison is that they do the dirty jobs nobody else wants to — though this time, it was more than just a mission… and some of them might not be coming back.
The Other Defenders of the Realm
Defenders of the Realm: Battlefields holds the unfortunate distinction of being the game everyone gets excited about for all of five seconds before someone realizes it’s not the original Defenders of the Realm. “Hey, is this that really good co-op game by Richard Launius?” Somerset asks excitedly when she sees it sitting on the table. Just kidding, she doesn’t know Richard Launius’s name off the top of her head. Worse, five seconds later she’s disappointed because she can see the box is way too small, not to mention it’s got that apologetic “battlefields” hiding under the main title like a bashful turtle.
Instead of holding that against Battlefields, let’s give it the benefit of the doubt and examine whether this tiny turtle is too timorous for success.
Dungeon Heroes vs. the Pit of Asymmetry
One of the things I love most about Kickstarter is that it helps bring weird little games like Dungeon Heroes into the world. Why call it “weird” and “little,” you ask? Well, the second adjective is easier: it is rather little, which is a point in its favor considering how crowded my shelves are these days. As for the other, its Kickstarter pitch described it as a “lunch break dungeon crawl,” which seemingly not only misses the epic-length point of dungeon crawls, but takes a detour through an entirely different town than the one the point is living in. Weirder yet, it’s so asymmetrical that the dungeon master is playing a totally different game than the one the adventurer is playing. But does it work? Let’s take a look!
Three iOS Space-Biffs
Shifts, Star Command, and Eclipse: New Dawn for the Galaxy.
Space.
It might be the final frontier and all, but it’s also the first thing on every iOS developer’s mind. I have so many galaxy-blue icons littering my iPad’s app list that I’ve despaired the thought of reviewing them all, at least until I realized I could blob them into a mega-review and have done with it — so you’re in luck, because today we’re looking at three games that share the void as their setting, but otherwise couldn’t possibly be more different.
Engage. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.
City of Turnips
Looking at City of Iron for the first time is sort of like staring directly into a rainbow, which my father always said would burn my corneas. Or was that the sun? Either way, Ryan Laukat’s latest game appears all but incomprehensible at first glance, packed as it is with unique races, fantastic lands, and ample opportunities to corner the Bottled Demon market. It’s easily his most ambitious title yet. Is it also his best? Let’s take a look.
The Library of Minigame Library Reviews
The Minigame Library from Level 99 Games.
It’s always a relief to finish a series and compile an index (it’s a freebie article, so hey!), but I’ll confess I’m going to miss the anticipation of discovering what comes next in the Minigame Library from Level 99 Games. At least this collection has enjoyed enough success that we’ll be seeing another at some point, and Pixel Tactics will be getting a sequel sometime this summer! For your reading simplicity, I’ve compiled all my reviews below.
Eight-to-Twenty-Minute Empire
If you’re a faithful reader of Space-Biff!, you’re likely well aware of my man-crush on Ryan Laukat. Not only did I enjoy his debut title Empires of the Void a little under a year ago, but I was also lucky enough to interview him at SaltCon back in February. You could say we have a history. You might also not say that, but all relationships are subjective.
Anyway, Mr. Laukat has now proven himself possibly the most efficient Kickstarter-er of all time, as he has just successfully shipped two projects, both two months ahead of their estimated release date. And while the universe didn’t implode at the news, it sure came close. We’ll be looking at City of Iron sometime in the near future, but for now let’s check out Eight-Minute Empire, Ryan’s filler-game take on the Civilization genre.
Vaulting Valkyries!
Of all the Small Box Games I own, this was the hardest to find a header for.
Before we start chatting about The Valkyrie Incident, let’s set the stage with some backstory! Shortly after I finished my reviews of Shadow of the Sun and Stone & Relic, John Clowdus, the owner of Small Box Games, proved himself a fine individual by shooting me a quick email. He thanked me for my previous reviews (of course, because he’s a gentleman) (also, you can find all of my previous SBG reviews here) (I don’t expect you to thank me too, but feel free if you’re so inclined), and mentioned that The Valkyrie Incident was another entry in his series of 2-player area control games. That got me all kinds of hot and bothered, seeing as how Hemloch and Omen: A Reign of War are my favorites of his designs.
And now here we are, at the precipice of finding out whether I liked it. Did it measure up to my two favorite Small Box entries? Was it every bit as gripping? Was the box appropriately small? There’s no alternative but to find out below.
Together for the First Time: Stone & Relic
These old stones may contain relics. No telling, really.
My admiration for Small Box Games is no secret, from John and Britt Clowdus’s bold cottage industry business model to their consistently high-quality components and portable boxes (which I haven’t managed to drag along on a vacation yet but absolutely will at some point). My only hangup in this love affair is that I haven’t fallen quite so totally for half of their games — as much as I adored Hemloch and Omen: A Reign of War, I found Tooth & Nail: Factions and Shadow of the Sun a bit wanting. Which is why I’m tickled pink about Stone & Relic, which is every bit as good as my two favorite SBG offerings. Maybe even a bit better.
SPACE-BIFF! 