How not to make board games – review of the game “Neighbors”

The game brings to mind Kargul and Pawlak from the dark comedy Sami Swoi (1967), in which two men living next to each other had endless feuds with each other. In Neighbors, our task is to make the opponent build as few pens as possible, so that we get as many fields on the meadow as possible. So we have a conflict.

The rules of the game, the quintessence of finesse. I was joking…

The box contains 12 meadow tiles, 24 rabbit and sheep tiles and instructions. The first task of the players is to build an area for pens. They successively add parts of the meadow so that the next element touches the one placed by the previous person. The actual game starts with the player who is in possession of representatives of the leprechaun family. He places the farm with them on the selected green space. Then the owner of the boards does the same with representatives of beef. The game continues until all possible fields are occupied. Penalty points are awarded for hand pens that have not been placed in the clearing. Then it is time for the second round, in which the participants of the skirmish exchange animals. The meadow is also being laid out anew. The winner is the one who scored fewer points after two rounds. It sounds interesting? I can assure you that it is not so. If you like this type of atmosphere, better start something similar in the online version. It will be cheaper, nicer, faster. Perhaps more ambitious.

Please note that I tested the product in a two-person game and I describe it as well. It is worth adding that it is also possible to roll it in a four-person version.

This puzzle game refers to the well-known Tetris, but it does not change the fact that it is boring to death. Honestly, I had minimal fun with it, but I suspect it was only because I played it for the first time. And definitely the last one.

Design does not differ from products from the 90s. It is even worse!

If, in contact with the elements of the product’s content, I find that Super Farmer ( first published in 1943 by a Polish mathematician, Karol Borsuk, extremely popular in the 90s) is a show of artistry in the visual sphere, it means that, to put it mildly, it’s not the best… Below are pictures of the cover, packaging and instructions. Judge for yourself.

The creator of Neighbors is a Frenchman, Christophe Boelinger (he has over 60 board games to his credit, the most famous of which is Dungeon Twiste r), while Xavier Houssin, a resident of the country located on the Seine, was also responsible for the illustration. One thing I know for sure – after this title, I will not become a fan of these gentlemen’s works.

The duration of the game is approx. 15 minutes. The company Muduko (the publishing brand of Fabryka Kart-Trefl-Kraków sp. Zoo) is responsible for its appearance on the Polish market.

Pros: You can feel like Kargul and Pawlak for a while.

Cons: Poor design, short gameplay duration and non-challenging gameplay.