Nemesis: Retaliation takes the familiar Nemesis formula and changes the question at the heart of it. Where the earlier games largely put players in the position of desperately trying to survive an alien nightmare, this third entry sends a squad of heavily equipped Marines into the darkness with considerably more firepower. That sounds like it should make things easier, but Awaken Realms and designer Adam Kwapiński understand that giving players bigger guns does not necessarily make them safer. Instead, Retaliation uses that newfound confidence as another way to create tension, as players push further into an alien-infested facility only to discover that ammunition, oxygen, health and trust can disappear remarkably quickly. Having played both the base game and the Stretch Goals box, the result is a huge, ambitious semi-cooperative horror game that feels distinctly different from its predecessors while still delivering the unpredictable stories that define Nemesis. Continue reading “Nemesis: Retaliation review”
Category: Board games
Heat – Rocky Roads review
Heat: Pedal to the Metal was already a remarkably complete racing game, so the challenge for any expansion is not to fix what was never broken, but to find new ways of making us reconsider the road ahead. Heat: Rocky Roads, published by Days of Wonder and Asmodee, takes the familiar 1960s Grand Prix setting and adds two new circuits, a ninth racer, fresh upgrade and sponsorship cards, and another four Championship events. The result is very much an expansion rather than a reinvention, but that is hardly a problem when the underlying game remains as enjoyable as it was when we first reviewed it. The new content mostly succeeds because it understands exactly what makes Heat work: every extra rule needs to feed back into that wonderfully tense balance between speed, positioning and engine management. Continue reading “Heat – Rocky Roads review”
Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains review (PS5)
Monopoly has never struggled to create memorable game nights, although not always for the right reasons. Long matches, inevitable arguments, and drawn-out endings have become just as much a part of its identity as buying properties and collecting rent. Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains takes that familiar foundation and reshapes it into something designed specifically for videogames, replacing the traditional race toward bankruptcy with a faster, team-oriented battle for Influence Points. Developed by Behaviour Interactive and published by Ubisoft, this PlayStation 5 adaptation doesn’t abandon the spirit of Monopoly, but it does make a genuine effort to modernize the formula through Star Wars-themed abilities, objective-based gameplay, and cooperative strategy. Continue reading “Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains review (PS5)”
Blade Runner RPG – Asset Pack/Solo Mode & Replicant Rebellion review
Few tabletop RPGs capture the atmosphere of their source material as convincingly as Free League’s Blade Runner RPG, and these two latest expansions broaden that experience in complementary ways. Rather than simply adding more adventures, the Asset Pack & Solo Mode and Replicant Rebellion expand both the practical possibilities at the table and the thematic scope of the game itself. One focuses on immersion and accessibility through physical play aids and a surprisingly robust solo experience, while the other dares to shift the spotlight away from the familiar role of Blade Runners to explore life inside the Replicant Underground. Individually they each strengthen different aspects of the core game, but together they make Blade Runner feel like a more complete roleplaying ecosystem. Continue reading “Blade Runner RPG – Asset Pack/Solo Mode & Replicant Rebellion review”
In A World review
Party games often live or die by the quality of the conversations they create, and In A World builds its entire identity around imaginative discussion. Published by Ludonaut Games and designed by three siblings inspired by their own childhood storytelling sessions, the game takes a familiar party-card formula and reshapes it into something considerably more family-friendly. Rather than relying on shock humor or edgy content, In A World encourages players to think creatively, argue persuasively, and embrace absurd scenarios that can range from magical schools to giant flying spiders and everything in between. Continue reading “In A World review”