Board Games

  • Review: Ants

    ByiMisut Hours
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    Take charge of an ant colony in an eternal struggle to dominate the territory. Develop your anthill, explore the garden marking the ground with your pheromones, gather food and leaves, and defeat enemy creatures. Lay eggs and tend to the larvae to obtain more specialized workers. Evolve your abilities, optimize your nest chambers, and pull off astonishing feats to secure supremacy over your rivals. For the Colony!

    This is how Ants is presented to us, a design by Renato Ciervo and Andrea Robbiani (the debut for both). First published in 2025 by Cranio Creations in an English and Italian edition. The artwork is handled by Candida Corsi and Sara Valentino, who were responsible for the look of Rats of Wistar.

  • Review: Trickerion – Legends of Illusion

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    Decades ago, it used to be a bustling city, the Capital of Illusion, but now only a shadow of its former glory remains. The golden age ended the day Dahlgaard the Magnificent, the city’s selfless benefactor and the greatest illusionist in history, mysteriously disappeared at the end of his final performance decades ago. Nothing was ever heard of him again. Until now. One night, four talented illusionists, masters of different branches of magic, received a mysterious invitation. The great Dahlgaard himself, returning from the unknown, summoned them to reveal the secret he had kept all his life: the truth about the Trickerion Stone, his glowing amber relic. Despite what many believed, it was far more than a mere lucky charm. He revealed that the stone grants its bearer supernatural intellect, speed, and perception—the qualities of the perfect illusionist. Dahlgaard’s secret was only part of his grand plan: after his death, he wishes for Magoria to flourish once again as the City of Illusion under the guidance of a worthy successor, who will inherit the Stone and his entire legacy. This successor will be chosen among the four illusionists in a five-week contest of fame and fortune. With so much at stake, the four magicians will stop at nothing to win. Who will have what it takes to become the next Legend of Illusion?

    This is how Trickerion: Legends of Illusion is introduced to us, a design by Richard Ámann and Viktor Péter, the creators behind games such as Anachrony or Cerebria: The Inside World. First published in 2015 by Mindclash Games in an English edition. The artwork is by Villő Farkas and László Fejes, who are also responsible for the visual style of Anachrony.

  • Review: Volo

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    A game themed around birds soaring across the skies. Players add or move bird pieces with the goal of forming a flock of their own color. However, they cannot add their birds adjacent to an ally, and when moving them, they must steer them toward other allies without splitting the original flock. This is a poetic game inspired by mathematical models of animal behavior.

    This is how we are presented with Volo, a design by Dieter Stein (Mixtour, Urbino). It was first published in 2012 by nestorgames in an English and Spanish edition. Later, it was republished by kanare_abstract in an English and Japanese edition. Graphic design for this latest version was handled by Kanare Kato (LAG, Enso).

  • Review: Kilia

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    The Baltic Sea glistens in the morning sun, sails flutter in the wind, and aromas of salt and exotic spices drift through the air. Kilia awakens, and with it, your burgeoning shipping company. The Schleswig-Holstein Canal has just opened and, as the resourceful entrepreneurs and proud burghers of Kiel that you are, you will take advantage of these new times to build your own merchant fleet. With foresight, a bit of luck, and your connections with harbormasters and city councilors, you will bring goods from distant lands to Kiel, turning this young port city into a central hub for trade.

    This is the premise behind Kilia, designed by Lars Ehresmann (Tippi Toppi: Hoch Hinaus!). First published in 2025 by HUCH! in a trilingual English, French, and German edition, it features artwork by Stefan Sonnberger, the illustrator behind games like Rising Cultures or Kuhfstein.

  • Review: Frosted Blooms

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    The crisp Dutch air still carries the chill of winter, occasionally blanketing the awakening polder fields with a delicate morning frost. Yet beneath this fleeting shimmer, the first determined tulips push their way toward the sky, showing vibrant colors that promise a radiant spring. As ambitious gardeners, you will compete to cultivate the most admired tulip display. Carefully select plots of land and strategically place iconic windmills and barns, all while assigning diligent workers to create a harmonious and valuable landscape. Will your garden, caressed by the cool dawn, bloom into the most celebrated masterpiece of the season?

    This is how we are introduced to Frosted Blooms, designed by Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc (Cyclades, Mr. Jack). First published in 2026 by Synapses Games in an English and French edition. The artwork is handled by Simon-Pierre Bernard, marking his debut in the board game industry.

  • Review: Feya’s Swamp

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    Three years have passed since the expedition returned from the west with the discovery of Feya’s Swamp, our new home. We have established our first settlements, and peace prevails among the four clans. The swamp, brimming with life and mana, offers us a promising future, and the ancient temples that encircle it beckon us to venture into the unknown in search of ancestral treasures. We live in a time of opportunity where each clan can forge its own destiny, striving to thrive as best it can. Each guide among the four clans is doing remarkable work fostering our growth in harmony with the others, and soon we will leave behind the dark times of our past. Even in times of peace, we want our clan to be the one that adapts best and prospers most effectively in our new home; after all, no one can strip us of our pride…

    This is the premise behind Feya’s Swamp, designed by Helge Ostertag (Terra Mystica) and Anselm Ostertag (Wulong). First published in 2025 by Fractal Juegos in an English and Spanish edition, it is a reimagining of Kaivai. The illustrations are handled by Mihajlo Dimitrievski, responsible for the look of titles such as Claim and the West Kingdom trilogy.