Reviews

  • Review: Sensu

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    In Japan, the use of the Sensu—the folding fan—carries deep traditional significance: woe to anyone who confuses the wooden fans used in dance and theatre with the iron-ribbed war fans wielded by samurai! Gather the cards you need to craft your own fans using your wits, and always keep the key number of the challenge in mind: 15!

    This is the premise behind Sensu, designed by Enrico Vicario as his debut release. First published in 2023 by DV Games in a dual English and Italian edition. Illustrations are handled by Andrea Guerrieri (Green: The Golf Card Game, Atelier daVinci).

  • Review: Nippon – Zaibatsu

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    In the mid-19th century, Japan finally realized how far behind the Western world it had fallen in economic, industrial, and technological terms. The Meiji Restoration marked the beginning of a rapid industrial revolution powered by zaibatsu—vast conglomerates of closely intertwined companies. In this economic strategy game, you will manage your own zaibatsu: constructing and modernizing factories, establishing the production and supply of goods, attracting investments, fulfilling contracts, developing mining and technology, laying railways, and recruiting foreign experts. All of this to catch up with Western nations and prove to the Emperor that your zaibatsu is the most valuable. Lead the industrial revolution and guide Japan toward prosperity!

    This is the premise behind Nippon: Zaibatsu, designed by Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro and Paulo Soledade (Asian Tigers, Madeira). First published in 2026 by CrowD Games following a successful crowdfunding campaign, it is a reimplementation of Nippon, originally published in 2015 by What’s Your Game?. The artwork is illustrated by Maya Kurkhuli (Enigma: Beyond Code, City of the Great Machine).

  • Review: President

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    The party chairmanship has become vacant, and you have gathered to decide who will take over. Look closely around you, because even though you all belong to the same party, only one can seize power. In politics… anything goes!

    This is the premise of President, a design by Nico Cardona (Panots, Rudolph). Published for the first time in 2026 by Too Bad Games and Zacatrus in a bilingual English and Spanish edition. Illustrated by Alba Aragón (the Sherlock series) and Raúl Moreno.

  • Review: Ayar – Children of the Sun

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    Viracocha created Inti, the Sun God, and Mama Quilla, the Moon Goddess. They emerged from Lake Titicaca as one: husband and wife, sister and brother. But Inti looked upon Mama Quilla’s glow with jealousy and threw ash over her so she would not shine brighter than him. Together they fathered four sons and four daughters—the Ayar pairs—who would emerge from Tiwanaku, south of the great lake, alongside the ten minor clans of the first settlers. The Ayar would be tasked with finding fertile land at the center of the universe to found the Tawantinsuyu empire, while teaching the clans the necessary skills to build a civilization. As the four Ayar pairs traversed the lands northward, one by one they would meet their fate—trapped in a cave or turned to stone—until only one pair remained. The final Ayar pair would survive to receive the honor of bearing the golden staff and founding the Tawantinsuyu empire, standing at its head as the Sapa Inca and the Coya.

    This is how we are presented with Ayar: Children of the Sun, a design by Mandela Fernandez-Grandon and Fabio Lopiano, responsible for Sankoré: The Pride of Mansa Musa. First published in 2025 by Osprey Games in an English edition. Illustrations are handled by Ian O’Toole (Lisboa, Railway Boom).

  • Review: LAG

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    A game in which the pieces move toward opposite sides of the board, but the distance they travel depends on the number of groups of your pieces on the board. When a player can no longer move any pieces, the player with the fewest objects wins. To achieve victory, you must skillfully control your pieces, which often behave unpredictably, as if experiencing input lag.

    This is how LAG is presented to us, a design by Takuro Kawasaki, this being his first design to hit the market. It was first published in 2026 by Kanare_Abstract in an English and Japanese edition. Kanare Kato is responsible for the cover illustration.