• Review: Heat – Pedal to the Metal
    Review

    Review: Heat – Pedal to the Metal

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    The circuit fills with the roar of engines as cars shoot off the starting grid at full speed: The Grand Prix has begun! The wind hits your helmet with force just as you are about to approach the first corner. You accelerate to the max and almost spin out, but you grip the steering wheel and look for the apex to take the turn while still in first gear. You’ve done it! And since there is no prize for crossing the finish line with the car in good condition, you floor the accelerator! If you want to stay in the lead, you’ll have to push your car to the limit. Will the engine withstand the long straightaways or will it fail at the last moment because you pushed it too hard?

    This is how Heat: Pedal to the Metal is presented, a design by Asger Harding Granerud and Daniel Skjold Pedersen (Iron Curtain, 13 Days: The Cuban Missile Crisis, or Deep Blue). It was first published in 2022 by Days of Wonder in an English version. The illustrations are by Vincent Dutrait, who already demonstrated his talent in games such as Lewis & Clark, Mundus Novus, or Museum.

  • Review: Ark Nova
    Review

    Review: Ark Nova

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    In Ark Nova, you will plan and design a modern, scientifically managed zoo. With the ultimate goal of owning the most successful zoological establishment, you will build enclosures, house animals, and support conservation projects all over the world. Specialists and unique buildings will help you achieve this goal.

    This is how we are introduced to Ark Nova, a design by Mathias Wigge, this being his first title to see the light of day. It was first published in 2021 by Feuerland Spiele in a German version. The illustrations are handled by Loïc Billiau (Spirit Island, Glen More), Dennis Lohausen (Terra Mystica, Glass Road), and Steffen Bieker.

  • Review: Ticket to Ride
    Review

    Review: Ticket to Ride

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    On a cloudy autumn afternoon, five old friends meet in the private room of one of the city’s oldest and most exclusive clubs. All of them had traveled there from the most remote corners of the globe to meet on that precise date: October 2, 1900. Exactly 28 years had passed since the day that eccentric Londoner, Phileas Fogg, accepted a challenge that would win him 20,000 pounds: to travel around the world in 80 days. When the story of Fogg’s triumphal journey filled the front pages of every newspaper that day, the five were students at the same university. Inspired by this impetuous challenge, and by a few pints at the local pub, the group of friends decided to commemorate the occasion with a somewhat more modest excursion and reward: a bottle of fine Bordeaux for the first to reach Le Procope in Paris. Each successive year they met to celebrate the anniversary and pay tribute to Fogg. And each year a new expedition was proposed (always riskier) and a new prize (always higher). Now, at the dawn of a new century, it is time to set out on an even more impossible journey. The prize: 1 million dollars for the winner. The bet: to see who can visit the most North American cities by train in just 7 days. The journey begins now… Ticket to Ride is a train adventure across the United States and Canada. Players compete by connecting train lines between different cities on a map of North America.

    This is how we are presented with Ticket to Ride, or ¡Aventureros al Tren! as it has been named in Spanish. A design by Alan R. Moon, responsible for other games such as San Marco, Airlines Europe, or Elfenland. The game was first published in 2004 by Days of Wonder in an English version. The illustrations are handled by Cyrille Daujean (Memoir ’44, Quadropolis, Citadels) and Julien Delval (The Castles of Burgundy, Macao, BattleLore).

  • Review: War of the Ring (Second Edition)
    Review

    Review: War of the Ring (Second Edition)

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    But wherever he looked he saw signs of war. The Misty Mountains were crawling like anthills: orcs were issuing from a thousand holes. Under the boughs of Mirkwood there was deadly strife of Elves and Men and fierce beasts. The land of the Beornings was aflame; a cloud hung over Moria; smoke rose on the borders of Lórien. Riders were galloping on the grass of Rohan; wolves poured from Isengard. From the harbours of Harad ships of war put out to sea; and out of the East Men were moving endlessly: swordsmen, spearmen, bowmen upon horses, chariots of chieftains and laden wagons. All the power of the Dark Lord was in motion.

    This is how War of the Ring (in its second edition) is presented to us, a design by Roberto Di Meglio, Marco Maggi, and Francesco Nepitello (The Battle of the Five Armies, Age of Conan). The game was first published in 2004 by Ares Games, receiving a second edition in 2012. The illustrations are handled by John Howe (Ethnos).

  • Review: Brass – Birmingham
    Review

    Review: Brass – Birmingham

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    Brass: Birmingham tells the story of the entrepreneurs who competed in Birmingham and its surroundings during England’s Industrial Revolution, between the years 1770 and 1870. In this reimplementation of the original masterpiece, Brass: Lancashire, you will expand your empire by constructing canals and railway lines, and you will build and develop various types of industries, such as cotton mills, coal mines, manufactureries, breweries, iron industries, and potteries.

    This is how Brass: Birmingham is presented to us, a new version of Martin Wallace’s classic (Age of Steam, A Study in Emerald, A Few Acres of Snow) with the collaboration of Gavan Brown and Matt Tolman, both responsible for designs like Super Motherload or JAB: Realtime Boxing. The game was published in 2018 by Roxley Games after a successful crowdfunding campaign via Kickstarter. The artwork is handled by Lina Cossette, David Forest (the duo behind the look of games like Santorini or Charterstone), and Damien Mammoliti (The Witcher Adventure Game, Edge of Darkness).

  • Review: Wingspan
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    Review: Wingspan

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    You are passionate bird enthusiasts seeking to discover and attract the most interesting birds to your aviaries. Each bird is a new gear in the powerful chain of combinations that you will form in your habitats, which focus on fundamental aspects of growth: food, eggs, and new specimens.

    This is how Wingspan is presented to us, a design by Elizabeth Hargrave, this being her first published game. It went on sale worldwide in 2019, with Stonemaier Games as the main publisher. The illustrations are handled by Beth Sobel (Snow Tails, Herbaceous, Viticulture), Ana María Martínez Jaramillo, and Natalia Rojas (for the latter two, this is their first work within the board game world).