Will you be on the light or dark side of the force? – review of the game “Mr. Jack: New York “

Probably everyone has heard about Jack the Ripper. A serial killer operating in the 19th century in London, specifically in the East End, who selected women as victims, mainly prostitutes from the Whitechapel district. It is said that many criminals followed his methods, but the greatest secret is the man’s identity, which has never been established. The character was used in many titles, including games. Rebel Publishing has decided to release Mr. Jack: New York .

Who is behind it?

The creators of the game are French designers Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc, and Pierô is responsible for the visual side. While searching for Mr. Jack, the London police arrested Francis J. Tumblety. After being released on bail, he fled to the United States. At the same time, gruesome crimes began to take place that were confusingly similar to those in Great Britain. The best of the best started the pursuit, the detectives spared no effort to search, but whether Francis was Mr. Jack?

This time Rebel serves two-person entertainment in which we play the role of Mr. Jack or Detective. We move to Manhattan, where a clever criminal escapes from the justice system. Officers must catch him before he runs out of town. Based on this assumption, we open a neat and small box, in which eight are hidden: cards (with a portrait, characteristics and range), character pawns (each has the option of suspect and innocent). In addition, you will find a double-sided informant token, turn marker, cards: witness, eight alibi and tokens: informant, four buildings, seven meters, six lanterns, and two investigations, steamboats and a well-described instruction.

Let’s Play!

The rules are quite simple. The first participant takes on the role of Mr. Jack, who impersonates one of the characters and his task is to remain undetected, while the other is the Detective, who has the task of catching the fugitive before the end of the eighth turn. The gameplay is fierce, full of traps. The players cheat, fight, try to lead the other side into the field.

It is worth mentioning that the designers encourage participants to respect the storage start play from the basic version, which  Mr. Jack: London . The New York version has a lot of tactical variants, so inexperienced players can get lost and discouraged. However, I believe that the title is well described, and the game is very easy to get involved in, it all depends on your will. Playing with the same person over and over again becomes a problem. The multitude of variants ends sometime, and then routine creeps into the skirmishes.

The manual is worth its weight in gold

As the creators themselves recommend, it is best to have the manual with you, especially in the initial games, it makes the game much easier. It contains tips on how to prepare the board for skirmishes, information on how to proceed and how to end, rules to follow, description of tokens, characters and their range, tips to help you plan your moves and answers to questions that may arise. Fortunately, it is very well structured because the rules themselves are quite convoluted. Over time, you get to know them better, but at the beginning they can overwhelm or discourage you by constantly peeking at the page. This was what I feared the most, because there is nothing worse than a clunky gameplay through technical matters. It’s not that bad, we knew what to do in the second or third game, and the fun was great.

The title is very carefully made. The elements are made of solid components that do not deteriorate despite many games. The visual aspect also deserves attention. All the illustrations have been beautifully created, whether on cards, pawns or even chips. It’s nice to see New York through Pierô’s eyes.

A small downside

Even though I love the title, there is a scratch on the glass which makes the game a good idea for weekend or occasional games, but not as a permanent feature in your daily routine. The number of variants, movements of characters, pawns or tokens is large, but at some point you can fall into the usual patterns and monotony begins to appear. Then it is easy to follow the lowest resistance line or to guess the opponent’s intentions. This objection applies to the same pair of players over and over again. If there is a chance to fight other people, then the excitement of the skirmish returns.

And the verdict is …

The dark atmosphere, interesting plot and interesting mechanics of the title make it remain in the memory for a long time and eagerly come back to it from time to time. Mr. Jack: New York City is the perfect example of worthwhile entertainment that forces you to think and plan. The first skirmishes may not be smooth, and players keep looking at the rules, but if you are skilled in battles, I will definitely enjoy the game.