Dale Yu: Review of EXIT: Adventures on Catan

Posted on February 8, 2026 by Dale Yu

EXIT: Adventures on Catan

  • Designers: Inka and Markus Brand
  • Publisher: KOSMOS
  • Players: 1-4
  • Age: 10+
  • Time: 1-2 hours on the box (92 minutes IRL with our group of 4)
  • Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4rEcP3j
  • Played with review copy provided by Thames&Kosmos

The EXIT series was one of the original puzzle-game franchises to hit the market when the escape room game craze took off a few years ago. To date, my family and I have been able to play all of the ones released here in the US, and this is a series that we continue to look forward to future installments. While there are many worthy competitors in the genre, the EXIT series is possibly the best known of the bunch – due in part to the initial set of games being awarded the 2017 Kennerspiel des Jahres award.

 

I received this EXIT adventure right near the end of 2025, and it had been awhile since our last experience with this franchise.   We did have to wait a week to make sure that everyone in our regular group was available because these escape room games (like all their other EXIT predecessors) can only be played once. Once you know the puzzle solutions, you really can’t play the game again. Additionally, the game may require you to destroy or deface some of the components, and that also makes it hard for someone else to play with a copy which has already been used.

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Dale Yu: Review of Teto

Posted on February 7, 2026 by Dale Yu

 

Teto

  • Designers: Jorge J. Barroso, Eugeni Castaño 
  • Publisher: 2 Tomatoes
  • Players: 4-10
  • Age: 8+
  • Time: 20-30 mins
  • Played with review copy provided by publisher

 

Teto? You mean hero? hello? memo? zero? But do something with your hands and feet, please, there’s no one who understands you!

 

Teto is a team competition in which you will have to cooperate and help each other to decipher all the words that appear on your cards before the opposing team. Don’t waste your time, tune your ears, open your eyes wide and JJAJ!

 

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Dale Yu: Review of Cozy Stickerville

Posted on February 6, 2026 by Dale Yu

 

Cozy Stickerville

  • Designer: Corey Konieczka
  • Publisher: Unexpected Games
  • Players: 1-6
  • Age: 8+
  • Time: 30 min/year (10 years to complete campaign)
  • Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4rllnfe
  • Played with review copy provided by publisher

Explore the land, uncover mysteries, and follow your residents’ personal stories. Build your Village with over 800 stickers featuring houses, farms, shops, animals, and so much more! As your village grows, so do your options: go fishing, explore the mine, find true love, and more!

Create your legacy as your choices unlock new options and can have lasting repercussions in future games. The buildings you choose have unique effects, and each decision creates new possibilities in future years. Explore and Discover as you help residents pursue personal stories, go fishing, explore the mine, and uncover hidden mysteries. A Game For Everyone!

 

 

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Dale Yu: Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Trick Taking Game

Posted on February 5, 2026 by Dale Yu

 

 

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Trick Taking Game

  • Designer: Bryan Bornmueller
  • Publisher: Office Dog
  • Players: 1-4
  • Age: 10+
  • Time: 20 minutes per hand
  • Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4t83bHT
  • Played with review copy provided by publisher

The journey continues in the magical world of Middle-earth in The Two Towers: Trick-Taking Game, a narrative-driven co-operative card game that lets players take on the roles of heroes and villains in Tolkien’s legendary work, The Two Towers. This standalone game follows 2025’s The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game with chapters 19-36 of gameplay. The chapters can be played in any order and playing the earlier game isn’t required, but ideally you play them in sequence.

In each chapter, each player takes a different character role and each character has a condition that must be met in order to pass the chapter and advance in the story. As you advance through the chapters, new characters, items, and challenges are introduced to the game. The One Ring is the game’s only trump card, but initially rings can’t be led until someone plays one off-suit.

 

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Dale Yu: Review of Everdell Silverfrost (Collectors Edition)

Posted on February 4, 2026 by Dale Yu

 

 

Everdell Silverfrost (Collectors Edition)

  • Designers: James Wilson, Clarissa Wilson
  • Publisher: Tabletop Tycoon
  • Players: 1-4
  • Age: 10+
  • Time: 30-120 minutes
  • Amazon affiliate link:  https://amzn.to/4pRSx57
  • Played with review copy provided by publisher

Silverfrost is the next standalone edge of the map series of Everdell. Beyond the snow-capped Spirecrest mountains to the south of Everdell Valley, lies the bold country of Silverfrost. It is your task to build and maintain a city in this challenging landscape. You must clear the piling snow, burn the fires to keep your citizens warm and prosperous, and complete important quests for the Ranger’s Guild.

 

There is a unique relationship here with the Big Critters who dwell in these parts. When a mountaintop Beacon is lit, one of the legendary giants will come to the aid of those who called. In this way, critters have been able to survive hardships and succeed where others would have failed. It is your task to build and maintain a city among this challenging landscape. You must clear the piling snow, burn the fires to keep your citizens warm and prosperous, and complete important quests for the Ranger’s Guild. Light your torch and don your cloak. Winter’s fury is approaching. It is time to kindle the Beacons, call upon the Big Critters, and find a way to thrive in the enchanting land of Silverfrost.

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Dale Yu: Review of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Posted on February 3, 2026 by Dale Yu

 

 

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

  • Designer: Alberto Millan
  • Publisher: Looping Games
  • Players: 1-5
  • Age: 10+
  • Time: 45 minutes
  • Played with review copy provided by publisher

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a thematic exploration game inspired by Jules Verne’s classic novel. Players take on the roles of crew members aboard Captain Nemo’s submarine, the Nautilus, navigating between surface and depth maps in search of discovery, danger, and wonder. As they explore sunken ships, hunt marine creatures, and uncover the mysteries of Atlantis, they compete to earn points through smart decisions and spatial strategy.

The game unfolds over sixteen simultaneous turns. Each round, players secretly choose one of three character rows, then move the Nautilus using the indicated movement points. On their sheets, they draw discoveries and score for islands in line of sight, sunken ships, seaweed forests, treasures, and hunted cetaceans. If multiple players choose the same character, a hazard is triggered—unless one holds the rotating Conseil card, which grants temporary immunity.

With unique character bonuses, a dedicated solo mode, and layered end-game scoring, the game rewards thoughtful planning and tactical movement. The double-sided map system invites players to dive and surface at key moments, enhancing both depth and replayability. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea offers an elegant, compact, and immersive experience for 1 to 5 adventurers.

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