Another year has passed, full of board game premieres. Lots of surprises, some disappointed hopes, but most of all lots of interesting games – that’s how 365 days passed for us. We present a few of this year’s novelties that our editors like the most.
Meadow
What if you had to pack a backpack, a few maps, a guidebook and leave the city for a few hours or days? Walk the trail between the shelters, look at the flora and fauna, pick up an autumn leaf, make rowan beads and sit over a cup of tea in an old house in the middle of nowhere …
In the game Łąka we find a reflection of these longings and memories. Collecting cards, simple in rules, is well-grounded in the theme. We discover new ecosystems: from plants, through insects, small animals, to predators. Cards have symbols that will allow us to build chains with dependencies. Additionally, we can collect landscape cards and travel souvenirs.
The game, in addition to being very enjoyable in terms of mechanics, also looks great. Each card is a small work of art.
Chronicles of Avel Castle
This is definitely one of the best games released in 2021. In fact, this position should be appreciated not for the gameplay itself, but for the perfect performance. So we have a great bestiary, and in addition, each player can color their character and give it a unique name. Interestingly, if we run out of breath, we can throw dice on a special board to draw an unusual, and sometimes even funny name. The player’s board also draws attention, with a separate space for equipment. The acquisition of equipment itself also provides a lot of excitement as we try to feel the desired shape within five seconds. Although it looks simple in theory, in practice we will often pull out a helmet instead of a shield! It is these numerous details that make me so fondly remember the Chronicles of Avel Castle. Most importantly, the gameplay itself is also a lot of fun, and fights based on dice rolls are very exciting.
Marvel United
Honestly, choosing the best game released in the country was not easy for me. I was browsing the gameplay tracking app for a long time and didn’t feel very convinced, though I was leaning towards the Lion’s Jaws (if this game was as good as its tutorial, I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment). Fortunately for me, Portal has recently come to the rescue, targeting a wider audience with my favorite filler – Marvel United .
It is a well-made, mechanically very simple co-op game in my favorite universe. Great respect to the developers for the ingenuity of using a deck of barely 12 cards for heroes and shifting the gameplay burden to the variety of villains. I myself am the owner of the KS version, which has an unconditional place in my collection, together with the mutant version, for the delivery of which I am waiting patiently.
Finally, a small off-top – I would also like to commend one of the authors here, A. Chiarvesio – I sometimes exchange thoughts on this subject with him – in my opinion, a model of approach in the creator-recipient relationship.
Pradawny Las
The Primeval Forest game , which came out at the end of the year and is mainly based on playing cards correctly. The Four Nature Spirits must save the Holy Tree from the evil Onibi beings. Each of them wants to be the best defender and get a noble title. To achieve this, you need to plant trees, trust your allies, and keep fires away. The game is great and the graphics are pleasing to the eyes. Gameplay is based on the correct playing of cards and funds that you have. At the same time, he cooperates with others to defend himself and plays against himself for victory. Every decision matters.
Cooper Island
For me, the best game released in 2021 is Primeval Forest . A beautiful, well-made and fun family game won my heart. My editorial colleague also thinks so, which confirms that this title is very good. Unfortunately, for this reason I had to choose second place, and with that I had a bigger problem, the more that there are still a few unplayed this year’s positions in the queue.
Ultimately my choice fell on Cooper Island. I have the impression that a lot of people were waiting for it, but when it was released, it wasn’t too loud about it. It is an offer for more advanced players, so it certainly did not have a chance to break through the enormity of family and party titles on store shelves, but eurogame enthusiasts should reach for it. A well-tailored “short quilt”, fun in arranging your own peninsula and some interesting ideas that I have not come across before – all this ensures a good, though demanding gameplay. And although there are not many rules for this difficulty, creating a good strategy that can bring you victory is a challenge. In addition, the manual is well written, which is rarely the case with Portal publishing house, so you don’t have to worry about not understanding the rules.