The Newest and Shiniest of the Summer!
By Marc
It can be hard to keep up with all the new game releases. Worldwide, there are between fifty and one hundred games released in an average week (for an average of four thousand new games every year!). Thankfully, your friendly neighborhood Blue Castle is here to help!
As with any other recommendation, the kinds of games you will enjoy depend a lot on the kind of games you’ve enjoyed in the past. That doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyable to stretch out a bit, leave your comfort zone and try new and exciting titles, but keep in mind that just because something is new doesn’t mean that it will necessarily be something you will enjoy. We have a very convenient section of our website that lists Pre-Orders. If you want to see an exhaustive, constantly updated list of games with their most up-to-date shipping information, that’s the best place to browse. It won’t list everything (there are so many new games that it’s impossible to have every new title), but it will certainly have the ones we are most excited about!
With that out of the way, let’s talk about a few new titles that have caught the attention and imagination of the J&J’s team.
Okay, yes, I know that games based on TV or movies are usually weak… and are often exceedingly bad. But hear me out: The Mandalorian: Adventures is designed by Corey Konieczka, designer or co-designer of some utterly fantastic games (Twilight Imperium! The Initiative! Descent!). The price is very reasonable, and I love space wizards and laser swords, so I picked it up. Having played a few times now, I am relieved to announce: it’s good! Solid mechanics, engaging asymmetric characters, and an intelligent tutorial to introduce the game’s systems. If you want to try an RPG-style game lighter on the rules, definitely worth a look!
I have been asked, on occasion, how many space 4X (“explore, expand, exploit, exterminate”) games I need, and I always have the same answer: how dare you talk to me.
Joking aside, this is a genre that I really love, and Nexum Galaxy looks like a strong contender. Boasting a blistering fast playtime for the genre, a lighter ruleset, and an awesome price point, it could be a new favourite. Will it dislodge Twilight Imperium or Eclipse 2nd Dawn from my collection? Probably not, but I think it looks like a great choice for when I want to play a game like those but don’t have 4 hours free.
Several of us here at J&J’s take music very seriously. Naturally, a game about constructing a siren’s song against sailors to lure them to their doom with your musical aptitude sounds (Get it? Sounds? Get it?) like something right up our alley. Plus an optional free app that allows you to play your newly constructed tunes afterwards sounds like a great finish to the game. Looks like a harmonious addition to our two-player game nights! And like any good piece of music, you can also do an awesome solo!... It has rules for playing solo. It was a weak joke, but you get what I’m saying…
Starting with an elegant little solo game, and finishing on this monstrous expansion to a great three to six player game! The base game of Unfathomable is a beautifully, tense traitor game that built on the bones of its predecessors (the now out-of-print “Shadows Over Camelot” and “Battlestar Galactica”), but focused on making itself less confusing, and more accessible. The new expansion seems intent on taking that great foundation and building complexity, depth, and variety into the mix with new enemies, new heroes, and a slew of new monsters to fight against. For anyone who loves a good bout of betraying your friends, this is an expansion to keep your eyes on!
Ian’s sneaky additions:
While there isn’t room for me to wax poetically about all of my favourite summer releases, I wanted to quickly drop some names here to show off some of my picks that I feel deserve your attention. Cities and Rock Hard 1977 are at the top of my list, as Devir has been on a winning streak of releases. River of Gold looks great and I’ll be keeping my eye on this fast-playing economic beauty. Finally, the Expeditions: Gears of Corruption expansion improves an already great game in every way, making the early game faster and smarter with a wild worker, new components, and two new mechs!
As the summer comes to a close, those were the games we found to be most tempting. Please let us know which games are on your list as the cooler weather will give us plenty of opportunities to stay inside and play some amazing board games!
Happy gaming, everyone!